VCCS Litonline Introduction to LiteratureEnglish 112 (English Composition II)
VCCS Litonline Introduction to Literature
English 112 (English Composition II)
What's a "Bark"?
If you have ISDN, T1, or other FAST connection, click here for an alternate version of this page. If the loading of this page seemed SLOW to you, don't click! (This page loads in 40 seconds at 28.8 kps; the alternate loads in 64 at the same speed connection.) BARK Explanation Poetically, a "bark" is any sailing vessel. In particular, Shakespeare may have in mind the small, quick English ships that defeated the heavier, lumbering Spanish ships in 1588 when the Spanish Armada tried to conquer the English. Navigation on such ships used the sun and the North Star, probably sighted with an astrolabe, forerunner of the sextant. Given the risks of being at sea, anything as constant as the North Star must have been a comfort. In this metaphor, the star is constant, like the beloved, and the lover is a wanderer, like a sailor, trying to find his bearings. |
Which of the photos below best depicts the image of a bark
from Shakespeare's era? Click on it.
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The URL for this page is: http://vccslitonline.cc.va.us/sonnet116/bark.htm |
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Windsurfing boards? You're such a kidder! That's an "anachronism"--like something that would happen if you were stuck in a time warp. Where do you put the cannon on these little things? Oh, I get it. Use Uzzis, right? (Uh, isn't that James Bond [Ian Fleming's spy character], not Shakespeare?)
Figures! In a multiple-choice test, the bigger answer is the best answer. If you see a more accurate representation of a "bark" from the Shakespearean era, let me know at ehibbison@jsr.cc.va.us
