It's that time of year to consider how Shakespeare selects his images and structures his Sonnet 73 to develop the meaning of the poem. Class members examine the rhyme scheme, the indented lines, the conceit, and the images used in each quatrain, and then consider how these choices build the conclusion found in the couplet.

Concepts

william shakespeare, sonnets, literary analysis, rhyme schemes, quatrains, couplets, metaphors, symbolism, symbols, poetry analysis

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Additional Tags

english language arts

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Instructional Ideas

• Assign groups different times of year, have them change the wording to reflect images appropriate to that season, and then craft a couplet that makes a comment about love 
• Prior to reading the poem, post pictures of the same tree at different times during the year
• Ask the groups to consider why Shakespeare might have choses imagery that reflects fall rather than spring, summer, or winter
• Rather than a teacher-led question and answer approach, have groups consider the discussion questions, and share their insights with the whole class

Classroom Considerations

• The template for the sonnet includes a color illustration; however, standard copying should be no problem
• Helpful if readers are familiar with the sonnet format

Pros

• The resource includes the text of the poem

Cons

• None

Common Core

RL.9-10.1 RL.9-10.2 RL.9-10.10a