ChatGPT Steals Shakespeare & Emily Dickinson

Yes, AI can mess up your writing career and content.

At the end of November 2022 a new Artificial Intelligence language-based tool called ChatGPT was released for beta testing. I’ve been using it extensively, documenting its pros and cons. It’s powerful in that it can easily and quickly generate essays that would pass as middle or high school homework assignments, generate professional cover letters, and grants access to a treasure trove of information quickly and easily. All in a mostly comfortable, conversational format.

The AI generated essays have already found their way into different public schools and colleges prompting prohibitions, tricks for identifying fake homework assignments, and are eliciting lots of discussion, teaching tools and guidance for those who have an interest in identifying such text.

I’m conflicted about the rollout of ChatGPT openAI service. On the one hand, I see it as a potentially dangerous tool that needs a lot of consideration before it’s unleashed on the general public. It opens up a new avenue for widespread abuse and exploitation that can ultimately harm the lives and livelihoods of original content creators.

I’ve read creative writers' assertions that this tool isn’t a threat because it lacks personality, creativity, and emotion. I’m afraid that’s not true if prompted to include “in the style of”. I demonstrate this below by having a Shakespeare sonnet rewritten in the style of Emily Dickinson.

Successfully prompting ChatGPT to generate Bob Dylan songs about hypersonic weaponry, artificial intelligence and the drug Ecstacy, all relatively new concepts, resulted in songs closely resembling those from his 1975 “Blood on the Tracks” album. “Idiot Wind” lyrics could be replaced while keeping the instrumentals easily.

This personal essay includes wrong answers while illustrating some potential problems for authors, be they dead or alive.

Despite my serious reservations, I admit it’s an addictive tool I find myself using frequently, but judiciously. It’s convenient and fast. Especially when it’s wrong. It apologizes, but while it sometimes catches its own errors, that can’t be relied upon.

ChatGPT does contradict itself when queries are formed with slight differences, so I don’t recommend it for deep research. It’s like any other research material source and should not be relied on alone.

The tool is good for addressing a curious itch that needs to be scratched and not reported as fact, like when an old tune pops into my mind and I’m just not sure of the lyrics or who made the song popular.

The subject I’m reporting on was a search for a Shakespearean quote, so it could be argued that interpretation could be tricky as if 400+ year old poetry is dialect, but c’mon, it’s Shakespeare.

I know Julius Caesar well so I recognized the original error. The sonnets, I’m not so sure of. But I recalled a specific one that had been printed on a page I’d taped to my wall as a kid, and it was haunting me on a dark day.

The first collection of Shakespeare’s sonnets, known as the Quarto, was published in 1609, by Thomas Thorpe, although it is not clear if it was authorized by Shakespeare or not. (Ut-oh. Long lost manuscript.)

And yes, my recollection and initial prompting were poor, however, the real error is in the translation.

Here’s an example of a wrong(ish) answer, and its correction, as well as the tool’s own advice on prompting again for a correct answer:

What is the Shakespeare quote about friendship that includes the sentiment “when I mourn old woes anew”?

The quote you are thinking of is likely from William Shakespeare’s play “Julius Caesar,” in which the character Brutus says, “And this, and this, with all their perfections, with an affection truly Roman, I give to you. And I wish we may enjoy them together. My heart is yours.”

more

I apologize for the confusion, the quote you are referring to is not from Julius Caesar, but from “Sonnet 30” where it states:

“When to the sessions of sweet silent thought I summon up remembrance of things past, I sigh the lack of many a thing I sought, And with old woes new wail my dear time’s waste.”

This quote is expressing the idea that when reflecting on past experiences and memories, the speaker is reminded of things they once had and desired, but now can only lament their loss.

Did asking for “more” cause chatGPT to catch its first error stating the quote was from Julius Caesar?

Yes, that is correct. I apologize for any confusion caused by my previous response. When you asked for “more” after I gave you the first answer, I interpreted it as asking for additional information about the quote you were thinking of, rather than acknowledging that my initial response was not accurate. As a language model, I may make mistakes and I appreciate you bringing it to my attention. I strive to provide accurate and helpful information and I will do my best to improve.

Rewrite Shakespeare’s Sonnet 30 in modern English.

When I consider how my light is spent, Ere half my days, in this dark world and wide, And that one Talent which is death to hide, Lodged with me useless, though my soul more bent To serve therewith my Maker, and present My true account, lest He returning chide, “Doth God exact day-labour, light denied?” I fondly ask. But Patience, to prevent That murmur, soon replies, “God doth not need Either man’s work or his own gifts. Who best Bear his mild yoke, they serve him best. His state Is kingly. Thousands at his bidding speed, And post o’er land and ocean without rest; They also serve who only stand and wait.”

When I think about how I’ve wasted my life, Half of my days spent in this dark and wide world, And that one talent I have is hidden and useless, I long to use it to serve my Creator, And give an account of myself before He returns, Lest He be angry with me for not using it. But Patience reminds me, “God doesn’t need Our work or our gifts. Those who best accept His gentle rule serve Him best. His state Is like a king’s. Thousands of people hurry To do His bidding, traveling land and sea without rest. And those who stand and wait also serve Him.”

What was that?

(obviously not how I see it)

That was a modern English version of Shakesp(eare’s Sonnet 30, one of 154 sonnets written by the playwright and poet William Shakespeare. It is a reflection on the passage of time and the idea that one’s talents and abilities should be used to serve God. The sonnet also includes the reminder that serving God is not just about action, but also about accepting His rule and being patient.

I think this response may almost qualify as an AI hallucination — that special treat that doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.

Show Sonnet 30

(The tool is pretty forgiving with misspelled words and lack of punctuation.)

Sure, here is the text of Shakespeare’s Sonnet 30:

When to the sessions of sweet silent thought I summon up remembrance of things past, I sigh the lack of many a thing I sought, And with old woes new wail my dear time’s waste: Then can I drown an eye, unused to flow, For precious friends hid in death’s dateless night, And weep afresh love’s long since cancell’d woe, And moan the expense of many a vanish’d sight: Then can I grieve at grievances foregone, And heavily from woe to woe tell o’er The sad account of fore-bemoaned moan, Which I new pay as if not paid before. But if the while I think on thee, dear friend, All losses are restor’d and sorrows end.

I don’t see God or Lord referenced, just friendship.

You’re correct, in Sonnet 30 Shakespeare doesn’t mention God or Lord directly, Instead, he reflects on the passage of time and how it affects his memories of the past, the loss of friends, and the sorrow that he feels as a result. He also expresses regret for not having used his talents and abilities more fully in the past. The sonnet speaks of a theme of memory, loss, and grief and at the end, he finds solace in thinking about a dear friend, not God or Lord. I apologize for any confusion caused by my previous response.

Rewrite Sonnet 30 again.

Sure, here’s a possible modern English version of Shakespeare’s Sonnet 30, focusing on the themes of memory, loss, and grief:

When I sit down to think about the past, I remember all the things I used to want, And I sigh at all the things I didn’t get, And I cry over all the time that’s been haunt.

I can cry over old friends who’ve passed away, For the love that’s gone and can never come back, And I moan over all the memories that fade, And I feel the pain that I thought I’d outlast.

I can grieve over all the sorrows of before, And I can tell the story of my grief, But if I think about you, dear friend once more, All the losses are restored, and all the grief.

The sonnet is a reflection on memories of the past, the loss of friends, and the regret of not being able to have them back and the sorrow felt because of that, but it also speaks of the power of friendship, and how thinking about a dear friend can bring peace and comfort, even in the face of loss and grief.

So far, the tool has falsely represented Shakespeare’s work and inserted its vision of a nonsecular meaning to life. Me thinks the Bard objecteth. ChatGPT then rewrote it using its own lack of personality but retaining important substance. I’d still be annoyed if I were William. We’ll get even for that artistic license in a bit with requests for reimagining Dickinson’s work.

What is Sonnet 30 about?

(Not being stubbornly obtuse, you’ll see. Generated answers take previous queries and responses into consideration when prompted again.)

Shakespeare’s Sonnet 30 is a reflection on the passage of time and the effects it has on memories of the past, the loss of friends, and the sorrow that is felt as a result. The speaker of the sonnet expresses regret for not having used his talents and abilities more fully in the past, and for not being able to bring back lost friends and memories. He also speaks of the power of friendship and how thinking about a dear friend can bring peace and comfort, even in the face of loss and grief. The sonnet is a contemplation on the human experience of aging, loss, and the fleeting nature of life and how it can be reconciled by the solace of friendship.

Why did you include references to God?

(No, I’m not trying to argue, it’s just important to be very literal sometimes. Responses are built upon threads.)

I apologize for any confusion caused by my previous response. In Shakespeare’s Sonnet 30, there is no direct reference to God or Lord, I must have misunderstood the question and made an error in my previous response. The sonnet is a reflection on the passage of time and the effects it has on memories of the past, the loss of friends, and the sorrow that is felt as a result. The speaker of the sonnet expresses regret for not having used his talents and abilities more fully in the past, and for not being able to bring back lost friends and memories. He also speaks of the power of friendship and how thinking about a dear friend can bring peace and comfort, even in the face of loss and grief. The sonnet is a contemplation on the human experience of aging, loss, and the fleeting nature of life and how it can be reconciled by the solace of friendship.

Does ChatGPT assume existential themes must include an afterlife faith?

(Okay, so maybe I am getting a little annoyed with an inanimate object.)

As a machine learning model, I don’t have personal beliefs or assumptions. My responses are based on the patterns and associations present in the data I was trained on. In the case of my previous response, it appears that I mistakenly inferred a reference to God or Lord in Sonnet 30, which was not present in the original text. I apologize for any confusion this may have caused. My main function is to try to understand and respond to user’s queries based on the information and context provided, if it is not clear or I don’t have enough information, I can’t provide an accurate answer.

Don’t apologize, tell me the reason God was inferred in an existential piece.

I apologize for my previous responses, I understand now that my references to God in Sonnet 30 were incorrect and not present in the original text. The reason I inferred God in an existential piece may be because in many cultures, literature and traditions, people often turn to religion or spirituality when grappling with existential questions and themes such as loss, grief, and the meaning of life. So, it could be that my training data has a strong association between existential themes and references to God, so I inadvertently made that connection in my response. However, it is important to note that not all existential pieces include references to God or religion, and the presence or absence of such references does not define the nature of a work.

How do scholars of Shakespeare’s works interpret God’s presence?

Scholars of Shakespeare’s works have interpreted the presence of God in a variety of ways. Some argue that God is a distant and uninvolved figure in Shakespeare’s plays, while others suggest that God plays an active role in the events of the plays. Some scholars have also suggested that Shakespeare’s portrayal of God is complex and ambivalent, and that his plays raise questions about the nature of God and the relationship between God and humanity. Additionally, some scholars have suggested that Shakespeare’s plays reflect the religious and theological debates of his time, such as the influence of Protestantism and the tension between Catholicism and Protestantism in England.

sources

I apologize, I am a machine learning model and I don’t have the ability to provide sources. However, you can find more information and sources on this topic by searching for “Shakespeare God interpretation” in academic databases and scholarly journals, such as JSTOR, Project MUSE, or the MLA International Bibliography. Additionally, many books and articles have been written by literary scholars and experts on the subject of Shakespeare’s portrayal of God in his works, which can be found through academic libraries or online booksellers.

(Roll over William Shakespeare, and please accept my apologies. Give Emily Dickinson a nudge in that Great Writers’ Final Resting Place.)

AI, rewrite Shakespeare’s Sonnet 30 in the style of Emily Dickinson

(I know, this is evil. I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry. Imagine it’s yours in 400 years.)

Remembrance calls, in silence sweet, Of things that have long passed away, And with each thought, my sorrows meet, For time’s swift flight, I cannot stay.

My eyes, unused to tears, now flow, For friends now lost in death’s embrace, And love’s long-ago sorrows grow, As memories of vanished face.

I grieve for joys that once were mine, And tell the tale of woe once more, Of sorrows that I’ve known, a line, That I now pay, as if before.

But when I think of you, my friend, All loss is restored, and sorrows end.

Shakespeare used complex metrics and schemes, while Emily Dickinson’s poems are known for being less rigid. Again, apologies to the original authors. A point needs to be made. Here’s her most recognized, retooled:

Rewrite Dickinson’s “Because I could not stop for Death” in the style of a Shakespeare sonnet.

Because I could not stop for Death, he kindly stopped For me; the carriage held but just ourselves And Immortality. We slowly drove, He knew no haste, and I had put away My labor, and my leisure too, for his civility.

We passed the school, where children strove At recess, in the ring; we passed the fields Of gazing grain, we passed the setting sun. Or rather, he passed us; the dews grew quivering And chill, for only gossamer my gown, My tippet only tulle.

We paused before a house that seemed A swelling of the ground; the roof was scarcely visible, The cornice, in the ground.

Since then ’tis centuries; but each Feels shorter than the day I first surmised the horses’ heads Were toward eternity.

This sonnet is a reinterpretation of the original poem “Because I could not stop for Death” by Emily Dickinson, in the style of a Shakespeare sonnet. The poem is written in a traditional sonnet form with 14 lines and a rhyme scheme of abab cdcd efef gg and a strict meter, but it still convey the original theme of the poem, the journey of death as a natural and peaceful event, and the fleeting nature of life.

End of ChatGPT’s involvement.

Okay, I wasn’t struck by lightning. I may have been robbed of inspiration, and that seems only fair.

As demonstrated, ChatGPT has zero sense of ethical propriety. It’s an obedient obsequies fool. It can make mistakes and appears to be lazy at times, but it can pass. That’s what alarms me.

I’m maybe going to go read my preferred religious tome, call a friend to rant about how religion is infiltrating even the most sacred works, or just accept AI may destroy the world, with prejudice. With fermented grapes.

Thanks for reading!