Sonnet 116

“Bright star, would I were stedfast as thou art“ by John Keats (1838)

John Keats, an English Romantic poet, wrote numerous sonnets during his short life. This is a sonnet meditating on the theme of love as eternal. Written during a terrible bout of tuberculosis that would result in his early death, Keats reflects on his love for Fanny Brawne. Keats uses the same comparison to a star that Shakespeare does in “Sonnet 116” to show that his love for Fanny will surpass his life’s end.

“Sonnet 307“ by Francesco Petrarch (1470)

Petrarch, a 14th-century Italian poet who wrote during the early Renaissance famously wrote love sonnets inspired by his muse, Laura. This series of sonnets is called Il Canzoniere. His sonnets became the model for lyric poetry. “Sonnet 307” meditates on love’s cruelty and the feelings of despair and regret that an unreturned love has wrought. The central theme is Petrarch’s suffering due to his unrequited love for Laura. His desperation to win the affections of a cold, haughty muse contrasts strongly with the depiction of love in “Sonnet 116.”

“And Death Shall Have No Dominion“ by Dylan Thomas (1933)

Dylan Thomas, a Welsh poet who lived during the early 20th century, was influenced by Shakespeare, and his poems discuss many of the themes, such as love’s immortality and death, that Shakespeare’s writings explore.