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Sonnet 18 by William Shakespeare
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William Shakespeare (23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616)was born in Stratford-uponAvon. English poet and
playwright –Shakespeare is widely considered to be
the greatest writer in the English language. He wrote
154 sonnets and 37 plays, which are still performed
worldwide today. However, there are six additional
sonnets that Shakespeare wrote and included in the
plays Romeo and Juliet, Henry V and Love’s Labour’s
Lost. By the early Seventeenth Century, Shakespeare
1 Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
had begun to write plays in the genre of tragedy.
2 Thou art more lovely and more temperate.
These plays, such as Hamlet, Othello and King Lear,
often hinge on some fatal error or flaw in the lead 3 Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
character and provide fascinating insights into the 4 And summer’s lease hath all too short a date;
darker aspects of human nature. These later plays are
considered Shakespeare’s finest achievements.
5 Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
6 And often is his gold complexion dimmed;
‘Sonnet 18’ is an Elizabethan sonnet. It consists of 7 And every fair from fair sometime declines,
three quatrains followed by a rhyming couplet. 8 By chance or nature’s changing course untrimmed.
The poem is written in 9 But thy eternal summer shall not fade,
fourteen lines in iambic pentameter. It’s rhyme 10 Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st,
scheme is abab cdcd efef gg.
‘Sonnet 18’ also has qualities of an Italian sonnet.
The first 8 lines (octave) make a statement which 11 Nor shall Death brag thou wander’st in his shade,
is illustrated in a variety 12 When in eternal lines to time thou grow’st.
of ways, explaining how the speaker’s lover is 13 So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
more beautiful than a summer’s day. The word 14 So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.
‘But’ introduces the sestet;
it suggests a shift in the argument (‘volta’).
Summar y
The speaker begins by asking whether he should or will compare “thee” to a summer day. He says that his
beloved is more lovely and more calm or stable. He then runs off a list of reasons why summer is not all that
great; winds shake the buds that emerged in Spring, Summer ends too quickly, and the sun can get too hot
or be hidden by clouds.
He argues that everything beautiful eventually fades by chance or by nature’s inevitable (unavoidable)
changes; however, his beloved’s beauty will never fade away. Moreover, death will never be able to take the
beloved; since the beloved exists in eternal poetry. The speaker concludes that as long as humans exist and
can read, the poem he is writing will live on, allowing the beloved to keep living as well.
, The type of poem and discuss its structure.:
• English/Shakespearean Sonnet.
• It consists of 14 lines, divided into three quatrains and a couplet.
• It is written in iambic pentameter.
• The rhyme scheme is abab, cdcd, efef, gg.
Metaphor/Personification (line 3-4): 1 Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
The wind is portrayed as having human qualities; it is 2 Thou art more lovely and more temperate.
violent towards the small, dear, delicate buds, whose 3 Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
vulnerability is contrasted with the harsh
4 And summer’s lease hath all too short a date;
destructiveness of the wind.
Metaphor/Personification (line 5-6): 5 Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
‘Eye of heaven’ is a metaphor for sun – at times, the 6 And often is his gold complexion dimmed;
sun is too hot. And often is his gold complexion 7 And every fair from fair sometime declines,
dimmed; …his gold complexion…’
8 By chance or nature’s changing course untrimmed.
9 But thy eternal summer shall not fade,
Metaphor (line 9-10)
10 Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st,
‘…thy eternal summer shall not fade’
‘Nor lose possession of that fair…’
11 Nor shall Death brag thou wander’st in his shade,
Personification/metaphor (line 11) 12 When in eternal lines to time thou grow’st.
The speaker personifies Death which falsely boasts – 13 So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
that it will claim the speaker’s beloved. 14 So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.
Tone and mood:
Endearing/adoration/affection/devotion
The tone of this poem changes between pessimism and
optimism. On the one hand, the speaker talks about how
Love/Time:
nothing is permanent. On the other hand, the speaker
‘thee’ refers to the speaker’s beloved. The speaker starts
also asserts the immortality of his beloved; the speaker
to praise his beloved by asking whether he should
knows that long after he is gone, this poem will continue
compare his beloved to a summer’s day.
to be read and appreciated.
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