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Featured Poem: Sonnet 94 by William Shakespeare

Written by Lisa Spurgin, 19th August 2013

As we're all still on a high (and now significantly recovered) from the major excitement that was King Lear at the Garden Theatre at Calderstones last week, we're adding another Shakespearian boost to this week with our Featured Poem.

'For sweetest things turn sourest by their deeds' - a line that could surely apply to Lear and his daughters? This sonnet has tons for you to consider on your Monday morning.

Sonnet 94

They that have power to hurt and will do none,
That do not do the thing they most do show,
Who, moving others, are themselves as stone,
Unmoved, cold, and to temptation slow,
They rightly do inherit heaven's graces
And husband nature's riches from expense;
They are the lords and owners of their faces,
Others but stewards of their excellence.
The summer's flower is to the summer sweet,
Though to itself it only live and die,
But if that flower with base infection meet,
The basest weed outbraves his dignity:
For sweetest things turn sourest by their deeds;
Lillies that fester smell far worse than weeds.

William Shakespeare

Shakespeare's Globe's production of King Lear at Calderstones Mansion House has been receiving five star reviews! Read one from the Daily Post here.

1 thoughts on “Featured Poem: Sonnet 94 by William Shakespeare

loubyjo says:

This goes really well with LEAR really just saying do not judge people by how they first come over looks can be deceptive and just because you look as sweet as a rose does not mean you will act one (have no idea how a rose behaves actually !)
BORES ME
Roses may be considered to be summers flowers but in the park their is a load of weedy type flowers and they are more interesting as all sorts pop up , nothing so boring as being good and pure all the time , as all thing die eventually does not matter How well you behave that’s why I am in the middle neither a rose or a weed as you need both you can tell I don’t garden !

The last line made me smirk about lilies and their smell I decided to give a friend some lilies once and thought she was giving me odd lucks and not very appreciative I was told later they are consider Funeral flowers OOPs stick to Daisies in future , now they are sweet !

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