Sonnet 144
E499281
Sonnet 144 is one of William Shakespeare’s most famous sonnets, notable for its exploration of moral conflict and desire through the contrasting figures of a “better angel” and a “worser spirit.”
Statements (46)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
Shakespearean sonnet
ⓘ
literary work ⓘ poem ⓘ |
| addresses | two loves of the speaker ⓘ |
| author | William Shakespeare NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| character |
better angel
ⓘ
worser spirit ⓘ |
| countryOfOrigin | England ⓘ |
| explores | inner psychological conflict ⓘ |
| firstPublicationYear | 1609 ⓘ |
| firstPublishedIn | Shake-speares Sonnets (1609) NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| form | sonnet ⓘ |
| genre | Renaissance love poetry ⓘ |
| hasCanonicalStatus | widely studied Shakespeare sonnet ⓘ |
| hasCoupletFunction | moral reflection ⓘ |
| hasStructure | three quatrains and a final couplet ⓘ |
| influenced | later interpretations of the Fair Youth and Dark Lady ⓘ |
| isFollowedBy | Sonnet 145 NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| isPrecededBy | Sonnet 143 NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| language | English ⓘ |
| literaryDevice |
allegory
ⓘ
antithesis ⓘ metaphor ⓘ paradox ⓘ personification ⓘ |
| literaryPeriod | English Renaissance NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| meter | iambic pentameter ⓘ |
| numberInSequence | 144 ⓘ |
| openingLine | Two loves I have of comfort and despair ⓘ |
| partOf |
Quarto of 1609
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Shakespeare's sonnets NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| questionedByScholarsFor | biographical implications ⓘ |
| rhymeScheme | ABAB CDCD EFEF GG ⓘ |
| speaker | unnamed male persona ⓘ |
| symbolizes |
better angel as a figure of virtue
ⓘ
worser spirit as a figure of vice ⓘ |
| theme |
desire
ⓘ
good and evil ⓘ jealousy ⓘ moral conflict ⓘ sexual suspicion ⓘ temptation ⓘ |
| traditionallyAssociatedWith |
Dark Lady sequence
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Fair Youth sequence NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| usesContrastBetween | spiritual love and carnal desire ⓘ |
| usesImageryOf | angels and devils ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.