Sonnet 127: In The Old Age Black Was Not Counted Fair SONNETCAST – William Shakespeare's Sonnets Recited, Revealed, Relived podcast

Over 20 million podcasts, powered by

Artwork

Books Arts Sebastian Michael

Content provided by Sebastian Michael. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by Sebastian Michael or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://staging.podcastplayer.com/legal.

SONNETCAST – William Shakespeare's Sonnets Recited, Revealed, Relived « »
Sonnet 127: In the Old Age Black Was Not Counted Fair

17d ago 26:31

Share

M4A•Episode home

Content provided by Sebastian Michael. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by Sebastian Michael or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://staging.podcastplayer.com/legal.

Sonnet 127 is the first of 26 poems in the 1609 collection which together are generally known as the Dark Lady Sonnets. While William Shakespeare himself never uses the expression 'Dark Lady' any more than he uses the term 'Fair Youth' in these sonnets, it is entirely clear from this sonnet onwards that this much shorter section concerns itself with a woman who has dark hair, dark eyes, and a complexion that is most likely tan or olive, as opposed to pale.
The sonnet sets a tone that is ambiguous, somewhat distanced, perhaps slightly ironic, perhaps also quite sincere, but neither of these in an obvious, let alone straightforward way, and it establishes from the outset that the person our poet is now talking about is his 'mistress', and that she does not fit the hitherto or until recently accepted ideal of beauty. In fact, she represents, so the sonnet tells us, the exact opposite of what used to be considered beautiful, but although Shakespeare does not exactly sound overjoyed at her kind of beauty being recognised, he still values this genuine, natural beauty above the cosmetic artifice that apparently has now become the fashion.

… continue reading

139 episodes

#Books #Arts #Sebastian Michael

Artwork

Sonnet 127: In the Old Age Black Was Not Counted Fair

SONNETCAST – William Shakespeare's Sonnets Recited, Revealed, Relived

published 17d ago

Share

M4A•Episode home

Content provided by Sebastian Michael. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by Sebastian Michael or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://staging.podcastplayer.com/legal.

Sonnet 127 is the first of 26 poems in the 1609 collection which together are generally known as the Dark Lady Sonnets. While William Shakespeare himself never uses the expression 'Dark Lady' any more than he uses the term 'Fair Youth' in these sonnets, it is entirely clear from this sonnet onwards that this much shorter section concerns itself with a woman who has dark hair, dark eyes, and a complexion that is most likely tan or olive, as opposed to pale.
The sonnet sets a tone that is ambiguous, somewhat distanced, perhaps slightly ironic, perhaps also quite sincere, but neither of these in an obvious, let alone straightforward way, and it establishes from the outset that the person our poet is now talking about is his 'mistress', and that she does not fit the hitherto or until recently accepted ideal of beauty. In fact, she represents, so the sonnet tells us, the exact opposite of what used to be considered beautiful, but although Shakespeare does not exactly sound overjoyed at her kind of beauty being recognised, he still values this genuine, natural beauty above the cosmetic artifice that apparently has now become the fashion.

… continue reading

139 episodes

#Books #Arts #Sebastian Michael

All episodes

×

Welcome to Player FM!

Player FM is scanning the web for high-quality podcasts for you to enjoy right now. It's the best podcast app and works on Android, iPhone, and the web. Signup to sync subscriptions across devices.

Listen to 500+ topics

Help/FAQ | Advertise with Us

Arts|Business|Comedy|Economics|Entertainment|News|Politics|Religion

Science|Soccer|Sports|Storytelling|Technology|True Crime

Copyright 2025 | Sitemap | Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | | Copyright

Listen to this show while you explore