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"I have to go write a sonnet" |
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Will says this after he's reaffirmed his love/lust for Rosalind; later in the movie we see evidence of sonnets he's written for Viola. The lovely thing about it is that Will's shift in affections mirrors the emotional changes that can be seen in Shakespeare's sonnets. In broad terms, the sonnets break down into two groups--the first group are addressed to an unnamed "dark lady"; and while initially Shakespeare is overcome with love, towards the end of this group of sonnets she is characterized as treacherous. One of the great mysteries of Shakespearean biography is the identity of the dark lady. Generations of scholars have tilted at this particular windmill, but no evidence has been unearthed to suggest her real name. The second group of sonnets is addressed to an unnamed "pretty youth." The language is that of sexual desire, but the text makes it pretty clear that the youth in question is a male. |
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