David Portelles T-Th 11:00-12:15 Mar 20, 2013 Hidden in Plain Sight: The Anamorphi Str! t!

re o" the Sonnet Se#!en e$

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The a%ilit& to reate and re ogni'e art is one o" the "iner elements o" h!manit&, and the rise o" the h!manist movement d!ring the (enaissan e gave %irth to man& "orms or high art$ Art, in its man& "orms, has the a%ilit& to reate ideas, a%stra tions, and allo)s the ons!mer o" the art to ta*e a variet& o" perspe tives, ea h potentiall& &ielding an entirel& di""erent intera tion )ith the art "orm$ As a )riter, Sha*espeare !nderstood the po)er o" anamorphi str! t!re, and !tili'ed the te hni#!es that the (enaissan e artists !sed in pi torial art to on ept!all& la&er his sonnet se#!en e )ith meaning, prod! ing )or*s )hose literar& %ea!t& and signi"i an e paralleled the aestheti %ea!t& o" the anamorphi paintings o" the (enaissan e masters$ M! h li*e Hol%ein !tili'es ontradi tor& imager& in he Am%assadorsto reate an parado+i al )or* o" art, Sha*espeare also mimi s this te hni#!e in his o)n )or*$ Arts, general preo !pation )ith the depi tion o" ph&si al %ea!t& seems to %e mirrored %& Sha*espeare,s sonnets, as he %egins the se#!en e )ith "re#!ent des riptions o" %ea!t& o" a nameless &o!ng man, o!pled )ith pleas "or the &o!ng man to preserve his ph&si al %ea!t& thro!gh pro reation, sa&ing -.!t i" tho! live, remem%ered not to %e,Die single and thine image dies )ith thee$/3$13-101 This is 2ill,s heart"elt and repetitio!s theme that dominates the opening Sonnets3 his )ords are the %r!shstro*es that paint a vis!al image o" &o!th and %ea!t&, and &et there is a o!nter !rrent, a dissonant s!% theme$ 4!st as an artist )o!ld !se anamorphosis to portra& se ondar& meanings, Sha*espeare !ses it to sim!ltaneo!sl& preserve the &o!ng man,s ph&si al %ea!t& thro!gh literat!re )hile distorting or disg!ising the tr!e nat!re o" his relationship )ith the &o!th$

Page 2 5n the initial sonnets o" the se#!en e, there is m! h pol&semi meaning that ma& lead the reader to dra) on l!sions a%o!t the relationship 2ill has )ith the &o!ng man that are in on"li t )ith other messages in the s!%te+t$ 5n sonnet 23, 2ill ompares his "eelings "or the &o!th to the e+perien e o" a nervo!s a tor$ 2ill sometimes is so over)helmed )ith the %ea!t& o" the &o!ng man that he %e omes -As an !nper"e t a tor on the stage, 6 2ho )ith his "ear is p!t %eside his part$23$1-21$ The aestheti ism the &o!th is eno!gh to red! e the poet, )ho )e *no) to %e arti !late %e a!se o" his Sonnets, to a nervo!s m!te$ 7ne an see )hen 2ill sa&s 8 learn to read )hat silent love hath )rit: 6 To hear )ith e&es %elongs to love,s "ine )it$/23$13-101 it is learl& a sens!al omment, !rging the &o!th to per eive 2ill,s a""e tions despite his a%ilit& to ph&si all& mani"est them$ This sens!alit& ma& seem to %e ompletel& platoni , Ho)ever, as a se#!en e, 2ill la&s do)n pol&semi hints )hi h la& o!t pinpoints o" in"eren e that the reader m!st dra) into meaning"!l onstellations, )hi h !ltimatel& esta%lishes a more e+pli it relationship %et)een the t)o men$ 2hen the platoni nat!re o" the 2ill,s relationship )ith the &o!th is #!estioned, the sonnet reads m! h di""erentl&, and so 2ill has aptl& mimi *ed the (enaissan e artists and a!sed the reader to rane their ne * and s#!int their e&es to "o !s on the pie es o" his )riting that %ear all the tr!e meaning o" his Sonnet$ Seemingl& inno ent, 2ill,s apologeti tone in the 23rd Sonnet ma& entail a lovers apologeti e+planation o" his o)n impoten e$ -And in mine o)n love,s strength seem to de a&, 6 7,er harged )ith %!rthen o" mine o)n love,s might/23$9-:1$ 5t ver& )ell ma& %e that 2ill )as so over ome %& the ph&si al %ea!t& o" the &o!ng man that his a%ilit& to per"orm se+!all& has %een ompromised, and that the sonnet is his "orm o" an apolog&$ The te+t seems to generall& %e read as a "riendl& and pla&"!l e+ hange %et)een "riends, %!t Sha*espeare,s !se o" do!%le meaning and am%ig!it& an prod! e an entirel& di""erent reading o" the te+t$ 5" this )ere an isolated in ident in the se#!en e, it )o!ld %e di""i !lt to dra) an& real on l!sion a%o!t the se+!al nat!re o" the poetr&, %!t there are n!mero!s re !rren es o" this sort o" homoeroti s!%te+t$

Page 3 An additional e+ample o" pol&semia an %e seen in Sonnet 13 )here 2ill is ending the ,Pro reation Sonnets,$ These Sonnets are themati all& gro!ped %e a!se the& all enter aro!nd the assertion that the &o!th marr& and %ear hildren so as to preserve his ph&si all& %ea!ti"!l "orm %e"ore he dies or %ea!t& de a&s$ The entire 13th Sonnet seems to %e an e+hortation to)ards pro reation, and the tone is almost one o" pleading$ 78 that &o! )ere &o!r sel"3 %!t, love, &o! are ;o longer &o!rs, than &o! &o!r sel" here live: Against this oming end &o! sho!ld prepare, And &o!r s)eet sem%lan e to some other give /13$1-01 The ,some other, that 2ill re"eren es o!ld %e a re"eren e to a "emale partner )ho )o!ld %ear him hildren and preserve his %ea!t& thro!gh o""spring, %!t in the onte+t o" the anamorphi str! t!re o" the poem, Sha*espeare seems to %e )ielding those )ords to mean the e+a t opposite$ ,Some other, is not spe i"ied, and there"ore 2ill )eaves am%ig!it& and pol&semia into the sonnet3 the plea o!ld <!st as )ell re"eren e the narrator himsel", alling the &o!th into a homoeroti a""air, preserving his %ea!t& thro!gh art rather than hildren$ There is a lear la&ering o" themes in this Sonnet, and !nderneath a hollo) e+hortation "or pro reation is a stronger lin* or %ond o" se+!al attra tion %et)een the t)o men$ The end o" the 13th Sonnet is a strong instan e o" the <!+taposition o" pro reative se+ and homoeroti love$ =or the "irst time in the se#!en e, 2ill addresses the &o!th as love$ 78 none %!t !nthri"ts$ Dear m& love, &o! *no), 6 >o! had a "ather: let &o!r son sa& so$/13$13-101$ 2ith the ver& same o!plet that ontains 2ill,s on"essions o" love, 2ill %reathes li"e into the !n%orn son o" the >o!th %& giving him a voi e$ Herein lies a master"!l anamorphi o!plet: The on"ession o" love

totall& !ndermines )hat seems to %e the overt message o" the Sonnet, and almost demands that the reader go %a * and sear h "or missing l!es )hi h )o!ld e+plain s! h a mispla ed on"ession$ Ho)ever, the on"ession is also lo ated in the 13th line o" the 13th sonnet$ .eing histori all& regarded as

Page 0 an !nl! *& n!m%er, this o!ld impl& that 2ill,s love "or the &o!ng man are more than platoni , and that this homoeroti passion is !nre#!ited$ Sha*espeare demonstrates a tr!e master& o" anamorphi lang!age, "or it seems that ever& senten e o" the 13th Sonnet ho!ses t)o dire tl& on"li ting ideas, and &et this on"li t does not rend the poem apart, %!t rather prod! es an art"!l pol&semi Sonnet )hi h drapes a homoeroti love a""air in the g!ise o" "riendl& prose$ 5n the middle o" the Sonnet, 2ill states o sho!ld that %ea!t& )hi h &o! hold in lease6 =ind no determination3 then &o! )ere 6 >o!rsel" again, a"ter &o!rsel",s de ease, 6 2hen &o!r s)eet iss!e &o!r s)eet "orm sho!ld %ear$/13$5-:1$ ?ines 9 and : o!ld read as 2ill e+plaining that the &o!th,s %ea!t& )ill %e rein arnated in his hildren a"ter his death$ >et, the (enaissan e %elie" that orgasmi pleas!re )as e#!ivalent to a ,little death, indi ates that the poem ma& read other)ise$ 2ill ma& %e stating that the orgasmi pleas!re "elt in homoeroti se+ )ill ret!rn the &o!ths, %ea!t& to him )hen his ,s)eet iss!e,, or seminal ,treas!re,, iss!es "orth, %orn %& his s)eet "orm$ ;estled in the middle o" a mild "riendl& en o!ragement to)ards pro reation, is an e+pli it image o" the %od& o" the &o!ng man overed in his o)n iss!e3 Sha*espeare,s phrasing is not a idental, %!t master"!l, and his inn!endos are intentional$ This re !rsive %orro)ing o" the anamorphi str! t!re t&pi"ied in (enaissan e pi torial art is no a ident, %!t it does re#!ire tho!ght and e+amination$ Hol%ein,s he Am%assadors!ses anamorphosis to <!+tapose the theme o" death against the %a *drop o" h!manism$ Pi torial in the (enaissan e )as also generall& on erned )ith the portra&al or enhan ement o" ph&si al %ea!t& o" its s!%<e ts3 it )o!ld %e !n)ise as an artist to portra& &o!r s!%<e t as an&thing other than %ea!ti"!l$ Ho)ever, Sha*espeare appropriates anamorphi str! t!re in the Sonnet Se#!en e %e a!se themati all& he too is also on erned )ith the portra&al or enhan ement o" ph&si al %ea!t&, <!st as he sa&s in the ver& )ell *no)n 1:th sonnet, hen in eternal lines to time tho! gro),st$ 6 So long as men an %reathe, or e&es an see, 6 So long lives this, and this gives li"e to thee$/12-101 Sha*espeare is the artist, and

Page 5 his )ords are the master"!l stro*es )hi h paint a portrait o" a %ea!ti"!l &o!ng man3 <!st as a painter is a%le to depi t and th!s preserve the h!man "orm, the )riter re !rrentl& re"eren es his a%ilit& to preserve the &o!th,s %ea!t& thro!gh art, )hi h in this ase is the %ea!ti"!l Sonnet Se#!en e$