Compare and Contrast Romeo and Juliet to Valentine and Sonnet 43

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Written with in the space of three different centuries, each piece is centred on the theme of ‘Love’. Both poets along with William Shakespeare had different intentions on whom to target their pieces too. ‘Romeo and Juliet’ was written for entertainment purposes. (Based for theatre movement at the time.) ‘Valentine’ written by Duffy was written initially for the audience of a radio station purely for Valentine’s Day. However, just like ‘Valentine’, ‘Sonnet 43’ written by Browning, can both be interpreted as a personal declaration to show the true feeling of love for another. “I give you an onion.” (Line 2 Valentine) Browning on the other hand opens with. “How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.” (Line 1 Sonnet 43) The use of first person, authenticates that both poems are written for a personal response, this however cannot be seen in ‘Romeo and Juliet’ apart from when the characters speak. The use of alliteration in ‘Sonnet 43’, confirms that the poem was written for Browning’s lover. The repetition of “I love thee...” Shows it’s a personal poem for her true love. However, ‘Valentine’ could be interpreted as an open poem to allow the readers to understand the experiences Duffy has faced. The use of “...we are, for as long as we are.” (Line 16 and 17) Shows that Duffy is inviting her readers into the poem to help reflect upon how she feels. The formats of these pieces are all varied. Shakespeare firstly has written a play. However, within his play he writes a few sonnets to show the feelings of love between both Romeo and Juliet. One of the famous sonnets in the play is in act 1 scene 5, where Romeo shows his true feelings for Juliet during their first encounter. This is very much similar to ‘Sonnet 43.’ Both Browning and Shakespeare use Iambic pentameter along with a rhyming scheme in order to make the love seem stronger. In ‘Sonnet 43’ Browning
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