Ashley Dooley
12/13/2020
Task 1 C 100 The Humanities
However big or small, every event that happened in the past contributes to its history.
From the little incidences to the most remarkable events, each affects the past that makes up the
present. Parts of history are the different discoveries, innovations, adventures, and literature and
the people behind them who made a valuable impact on their respective fields. Among the
creations that hugely influenced the history of literature are the Shakespearean sonnets, which
have beautiful and refined language and occupy a vital position in the circle of English literature
(Wang-yu, 2006). One of those is Sonnet 116, published in 1609, which defines love by saying
what it is and is not. 1609 is a year of momentous historical events and innovations which are
reflected in Shakespeare’s Sonnet 116, a work with significant contributions in humanities.
Aside from the publication of Sonnet 116 in the year 1609, a lot of historical events and
innovations also characterize this period. Alongside Sonnet 116, all the Shakespearean sonnets
are first published as a sequence in 1609 (British Library, n.d.). This was a great literary
milestone because Shakespeare and his youthful love that flourishes in the sonnets are
immortalized and enjoyed by today’s readers. This year also marks a remarkable achievement
that helped leap a revolution in the field of astronomy for Galileo Galilee completed the twenty-
powered telescope that he used to observe the heaven and its celestial bodies (American Physical
Society, 2001). Not only the year brings the development of literature and astronomy, but 1609
also marks discoveries from expeditions. Henry Hudson sailed and discovered the Delaware Bay
while he was supposed to find an easterly passage from the Netherlands to Asia (MacNeil and
Lehrer, 2000). After being blocked by an iceberg, he pointed the ship west and took a westerly
passage through North America, which lead him to discover and explore Delaware Bay. Just a
few days after passing Delaware Bay, he discovered the island of Manhattan. However, this
period of navigations and discoveries also brought demise and wars across tribes and nations.
Samuel de Champlain, a French colonist fired a shot at Iroquois soldiers, killing two of them
which fueled the French-Iroquois conflicts for 150 years. 1609 is a year of discoveries and
creations but it also a witness of more than a century-long war.
Since literature is a fragment of reality and imagination, Sonnet 116 reflects the theme of
this period which is about society’s transition. Sonnet 116 is a love sonnet that describes love
through affirmation and negation but it also harbors the comfort that love will never be shaken
and altered. The year 1609 is a period of lots of changes, discoveries, and innovations for men,
either for the benefit of the few or for the benefit of all. Despite all the changes that were
happening in the world before, Sonnet 116 was a gentle reminder that love is the only thing that
is constant and permanent. Just like how the expeditions made colonists traverse oceans and seas,
Sonnet 116 puts love as a guiding star for every wandering ship. While astronomical discoveries
progressed to look further into the bodies beyond Earth, Sonnet 116 pulled the astronomers back
to Earth and let them look to its guiding star.
Not only Sonnet 116 embodies the themes and ideas of 1609, but the creator himself also
gave contributions to humanities that made Shakespeare an important literary icon. The sonnets
he created immortalize a nameless lover whose beauty and love dwell in the mind of its readers.
Moreover, his memorable characters feel so real that it looks like they existed. He did not just
create characters and compositions as an element of his literature; he made them into people with
personalities with inwardness and know what it is to be human (Morris, 2014). His genius
flourished in the papers and theaters of his period as a form of entertainment and influence. His
work transcends the pages and plays where people can see them. His works influence humanities
with the culture and values they instill that still survive in the modern world.
The year 1609 indeed is a great year of creations and discoveries which are seen in the
events that dominated this period. Shakespeare’s Sonnet 116 indeed reflects the historical events
and innovation of this year, channeling those into his writing that delighted the people of the
Renaissance period and continues to delight people today. Sonnet 116 is a sight to behold, its
history is an event to ponder, its content is a message to cherish, and its writer is a person to look
up to.
References:
Wang-yu, L. (2006). Stylistic features of sonnet 116 of Shakespeare. Tsinghua Tongfang
Knowledge Network Technology Co., Ltd. Retrieved from
http://en.cnki.com.cn/Article_en/CJFDTotal-AHDJ200603033.htm
British Library (n.d.). Shakespeare's Sonnets. Retrieved from
https://www.bl.uk/works/shakespeares-sonnets#
American Physical Society (2001). May 1609: Galileo First Hears About the Telescope. APS
News. Retrieved from https://www.aps.org/publications/apsnews/200105/history.cfm
MacNeil and Lehrer (2000). “Henry Hudson”. Empire of the Bay. Retrieved from
https://www.pbs.org/empireofthebay/profiles/hudson.html
