Poetic Form vs. Prose

Shakespeare's Sonnet 73

The third quatrain in Sonnet 73:

In me thou see'st the glowing of such fire

That on the ashes of his youth doth lie,

As the deathbed whereon it must expire,

Consumed with that which it was nourished by.

The third quatrain in prose:

I am the glowing remnants of a fire,

Which lies on the ashes of the wood that once enabled me to burn,

And will soon be consumed by my own creation.

The third quatrain in Shakespeare's Sonnet 73 is having the speaker refer himself to the glowing remnants that is aging or inching closer to his death. Like most fires, fires naturally extinguish their own flames as it sinks into the ashes, which its own burning created.

The sonnet is one of the most common forms of poetry where it follows a set of rhyme scheme and logical structure. Shakespeare's Sonnet 73 follows the traditional pattern of a Shakespearean Sonnet which is basically 14 lines consisting of 3 quatrains and a heroic couplet. The rhyme scheme for is generally ABAB CDCD EFEF GG with an iambic pentameter, meaning that there are 10 syllables per line, and every other syllable is naturally accented. The sonnet poetic form often uses a poetic diction, which is based on vivid imagery, but with each move from quatrain to quatrain leading to the heroic couplet make them a useful form for any subject.

Poetic form enables the reader to imagine the changes throughout each part of the poem by playing around with the words from rhyming schemes to structured lines. It also allows the writer to express him or herself more freely. In prose, it is so bland and straightforward, but more appropriate for most situations. Prose is basically getting straight to the point or bottom line with an exact structure. Overall, poetic form accomplishes one's thoughts expressed freely and creatively.