Posted by Kimberly on January 16, 19101 at 16:49:46:
In Reply to: commentary sonnet 20 posted by annie on April 12, 19100 at 14:03:33:
there are a lot of different interpretations of sonnet 20 because of the abiguity of the gender of the subject (i.e. womanly face, but with a prick) the most popular
interpretation is that the subject is a male (defined solely because of his genitals) whom the speak has fallen in love with because of his womanly face.
the idea behind this is that Nature, who is a woman, made a pattern for the creation of mortals, which all start off female (a galelic idea) and was so impressed with her
pattern, she fell "a-doting" and changed her mind midway, giving her creation a prick or male genitalia, for her own use. the speaker, also falling in love with the womanly
characteristcs of the creation, is angry and sad because he hasn't the divine powers nature has to change her .