Student's Entire Appreciation of Sonnet Hinges on Whether It's About a Dude or Not
No For Real, Is It?
A student at Broadalbin High School was left in a state of uncertainty about his thoughts on a Shakespearean sonnet after learning it might be about a dude.
Seniors in Mrs. Douglas's English Literature class were asked to present one of Shakespeare's sonnets for a quarter grade. The assignment asked them to lead a class, presenting their critique and analysis of a sonnet of their choosing.
When Kyle Laumner randomly chose Sonnet 20 for his class presentation, he had no idea what he was getting himself into.
What gave it away? The part where the speaker calls the subject "the master-mistress of my passion" or the part where the subject is described as "a man in hue...which steals men's eyes?"
"Once I started to annotate the thing, I knew something was up," said Laumner. "The more I read the thing the more I realized the subject of the poem might be male."
After reading through the sonnet a few times, Laumner could feel the sinking feeling setting in.
"Oh shit, is this about a dude?" Laumner thought to himself.
What gave it away? The part where the speaker calls the subject "the master-mistress of my passion" or the part where the subject is described as "a man in hue...which steals men's eyes?"
Kyle stayed after school to get some explanation. “So, is this about a dude?”
Mrs. Douglas tried to maneuver and give him a little bit more background information on Elizabethan culture, poetry in Shakespeare’s time, and the Fair Youth sequence, which is more of a collection than poems in order, to dodge his bigger question.
“Yeah, but is it?”
Yes, the subject of Sonnet 20 is probably a guy, but that doesn't mean anything, explained Mrs. Douglas. All you'll be doing is presenting it for the class.
The tough part is that Kyle really likes the poem and thinks he will do really well with the assignment. There is so much to present: the juxtaposition between the Youth and a traditional Elizabethan woman, a personified appearance by Nature, the ambiguous and metaphoric language.
There's even a bawdy pun referencing the subject's penis.
This sonnet really has it all.
Except it's the subject's "thing" and the other one thing that Kyle can't get over.
"I'm not gay."
Mrs. Douglas tried to explain that Sonnet 20 is part of the "Fair Youth" sequence and that the subject of the poem might be male. Shakespeare was probably commissioned to write sonnets for many gentlemen in England, but historians say the subject in the poem might be the Earl of Southampton. Him being gay or not should have no bearing on his analysis.
"I just chose number 20 because it was my number in kiddie soccer," said Laumner.
"Honestly, Kyle. For the sake of the assignment, it really doesn't matter," assured Mrs. Douglas.
"That's easy for you to say. You don't have to deal with Zack and the guys."
Zack and his buddies have been pretty tough on Kyle this semester. This presentation might set them over the edge.
"Don't worry. I'll take care of Zack."
Kyle sighed. "Can I switch?"
"Kyle, your presentation is tomorrow. You've done a majority of the work...all you have to do now is present."
"Ugh, I know. This sucks. Why did Shakespeare have to be gay?"