Shakespeare Sonnet 2

When forty winters shall beseige thy brow,
And dig deep trenches in thy beauty's field,
Thy youth's proud livery, so gazed on now,
Will be a tatter'd weed, of small worth held:
Then being ask'd where all thy beauty lies,
Where all the treasure of thy lusty days,
To say, within thine own deep-sunken eyes,
Were an all-eating shame and thriftless praise.
How much more praise deserved thy beauty's use,
If thou couldst answer 'This fair child of mine
Shall sum my count and make my old excuse,
Proving his beauty by succession thine!
This were to be new made when thou art old,
And see thy blood warm when thou feel'st it cold.


In this sonnet, Shakespeare is talking about a beautiful person that is admired and gazed upon. He then begins to say that this person's beauty will not last forever and that one day their looks will fade. Shakespeare says that they should prepare for the day when there beauty no longer exist and that the best way for them to prepare for this is to create a child and pass on all of their qualities to that child.

Is the Wife of Bath someone women should be proud of?

The Wife of Bath is a very unique women. When asked if she is someone that women should be proud of, I would have to say yes and no. I say yes because of some of the character traits she displays. She shows confidence in the fact that she can move on when she is tired of a relationship and not be stuck in a situation that she doesn't want to be in. In contrast, at the same time she shows weakness because she always finds a new husband which makes it seem as if she is dependent on a spouse. Another character trait that women could take away from the Wife of Bath is that, even though in the eyes of most people what she is doing is morally wrong, she still holds strong in her views and she is willing to present her perspective. Although this shows strength in character, it also has a negative effect because it shows that she doesn't have much respect for what society views as morally correct. When thinking of the Wife of Bath, I relate her to someone like Tupac Shakur. Though they are different in appearance, they are closely related in the way that they can be viewed. The reason being is that they both are people who can be admired but not followed. They both display self-confidence and also, they both take pride in their views. At the same time they both do things that are morally wrong and should not be followed. The reason that i feel women shouldn't follow in the Wife of Bath's footsteps is because, by her getting married so many times, she takes away the magic of that special, one time commitment. An example of this is that, if you received a pair of shoes only once every year or so, you would take care of those shoes and cherish them, as opposed to you getting a pair of shoes every month, you might not think as much about them because you know you will get another pair soon. I think that marriage should be cherished and treated with the same respect. So in short, I think the Wife of Bath's characteristics are something that women should be proud of and admire her for. On the other hand, her actions should not be portrayed by women.

Modern Day Pardoner

There are a few examples of a modern day pardoner. One is a fortune teller. That is someone who claims to be able to see the future, when in actuality they are taking advantage of people while they are down. Fortune tellers often find people who are easily misguided and somewhat unsure of themselves. They promise these somewhat insecure people all the things they desire. They give them false hopes and dreams while raping them of their worldly possessions. Another example of a modern day pardoner is someone who pretends to be poor but really isn't. They beg for money and swear that they are in deep need, when in reality they are scamming from unknowing victims. I know many people who have been robbed by these thieves and as a result they vow to never give money to a homeless person. So not only are these frauds stealing from innocent people but they are also taking away the trust that people have when they give money to peoplewho are actually homeless.