Similarities and Differences between Ars Poetica and Sonnet 18

Introduction of Each Poem

In Sonnet 18, William Shakespeare speaks of his “immortal” love, overcome by passion, and uses romantic language to compare her to “a summer’s day” (line 1). All of the lines in his poem rhyme, wanting it to seem romantic and easy-going on the audience, casting the subject of his poem in a positive light. Shakespeare writes his poem in classic sonnet form including two quatrains and a couplet however in the last section of the poem where the indented couplet is located, the speaker shifts his tone from romantic to futuristic. By using ambiguous phrases, such as “thou art more lovely and more temperate,” the speaker compares his lover to a summer’s day. The word, temperate, when applied to a human means that the person shows restraint however when applied to a day mean having a mild temperature.

On the other hand, in Ars Poetica, Macleish is very open-ended, allowing the audience to determine their own views about the topic. Macleish refers to poetry as an art form, rather than an outlet of emotion. The speakers uses a very impersonal, seemingly-arrogant tone and never officially addresses the audience. Macleish structures the poem in a way that the reader moves from line to line in confusion, allowing the reader to avoid assuming anything about the art of poetry.

Similarities and Differences between Both Poems

In both Sonnet 18 and Ars Poetica, most if not all of the individual lines rhyme in one way or another. Each, due to their specific format, have different rhyming patterns and amounts of syllables per line. Shakepeare's sonnet rhymes throughout and is very easy going. Macleish rhymes throughout most of his poem but is very unrestricted for the reader allowing the audience to make up their own thoughts and assumptions about the topic of poetry. The speaker in Ars Poetica is very straightforward and blunt with his audience while Sonnet 18 is full of romantic language to describe someone who is obviously very special to Shakespeare. Shakespeare uses a more rigid format while Macleish is more tranquil with the structure of his poem. Ars Poetica is based off of Horace's treatise, a guide on how to write poetry, while Shakespeare originally came up with his own poem. Both speakers have the same views on the usage of poetry but Shakespeare is very clear and precise in his meaning while Macleish uses a lot of symbolism to provide his audience with a deeper meaning behind his words. Both believe poetry is immortal and eternal, and both speakers believe that it should be impactful to an audience. The language used between both Macleish and Shakespeare differ due to their different subjects. Both poets use personification to classify the objects they are comparing things to. Macleish specifically uses personification to make his poem seem more sophisticated rather than if he used rudimentary English, while Shakespeare categorizes periods of time using specific language to make the non-human topics in his poem come alive to the reader. Macleish and Shakespeare never officially address the audience and only talk about their specific topic, however they both indirectly refer to their subjects as art. While Macleish is talking about a subject, poetry, Shakespeare talks about an immortal lover. 

An In-Depth Analysis of Ars Poetica

Ars Poetica, written by Archibald Macleish, is a poem similar to a treatise originally inscribed by Horace in 19 B.C., which was a guide on how to write poetry and drama. In this specific poem by Macleish, the author expresses extravagantly that poems should be able to move around freely and should heighten emotions rather than meanings. Writing his poem’s title in Latin, Ars Poetica translates in English to the art of poetry, which leaves the audience with an open-ended interpretation about the true meaning and refers to poetry as an undefined art form.

Throughout the poem, Macleish uses an impersonal tone and unofficially seems to think of himself as “the god of poetry.” The speaker communicates with a confident tone, however he never addresses the audience as a way to stay professional and prove his point. The poem structure itself contains three stanzas made up of four couplets each. In each of the stanzas, the language is very choppy and jerky, immediately moving the reader around in confusion to keep them on their toes, helping to avoid assumptions about the art of poetry.

In Ars Poetica, the speaker uses different objects such as globed fruit, the moon, a flight of birds, moss, and winter leaves to show that poetry can be found anywhere and can be inspired by a number of objects. Macleish uses these objects in similes as a way to appeal to his audience and to compare them back to the rights and wrongs of poetry writing. Wanting to intrigue his audience, the speaker used consonance in line five, "silent as the sleeve-worn stone" and line 12, "twig by twig the night-entangled trees", to emphasize specific words to which he is comparing things to and make the audience think deeper into the meaning behind the words that rhyme in the poem. The speaker commonly uses anaphora, specifically repeating, "a poem should be," throughout the literary work, allowing the audience to anticipate his next line and to increase receptiveness to the emotional resonance he is trying to reflect onto the reader. Macleish's attempt to be very straightforward and blunt with the audience about the true meaning and usage of poetry shows that he believes that his "art" is just as important as sculptures and paintings in art museums and galleries.