ENGLISH LITERATURE (CBSE/UGC NET)

Detailed explanation-1: -The octet depicts the lyrical voice’s perception of the moon. The poem starts by describing how the moon rises in the sky at night. The lyrical voice personifies the moon (“O Moon, thou climb’st the skies!) and projects his/ own sorrows in the moon (“With how sad steps”).

Detailed explanation-2: -The moon obviously stands alone in the night sky – set apart from the stars by its relative size – and so becomes a symbol of the solitary lover who is suffering from unrequited love.

Detailed explanation-3: -In Sonnet 31, the speaker uses an exaggerated metaphor, personifying and addressing the moon. The moon has long been a symbol of faithlessness, or inconstancy, because its appearance changes throughout the month.

Detailed explanation-4: -Sonnet 21 is one of 154 sonnets written by the English playwright and poet William Shakespeare and is part of the “fair youth” sequence. Like Sonnet 130, it addresses the issue of truth in love, as the speaker asserts that his lines, while less extravagant than those of other poets, are more truthful.