In "Sonnet 20," Shakespeare grapples with paradoxes, centering his poem on a man both masculine and feminine, powerful and powerless-the impossible object of a homosexual love that should not be. Through images of eyes and wealth veiled in double meanings, penned in the freeing and restricting form of a sonnet, we find that the subject's dual nature endows him with great power, yet the greatness of this power is what ultimately limits him. ... Although his dual nature endows him this advantage, the tragedy is that he cannot act upon the power given to him because of his sexuali...

• Word Count: 1124
• Approx Pages: 4
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate