Free Essay

Sonnet 18 Analysis

In: English and Literature

Submitted By alexdementiev
Words 603
Pages 3
Eternal Beauty In Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 18”, the narrator employs an extended metaphor when comparing the addressee to a “summer’s day”. The metaphor is emphasized by the tone shift in line nine, and the comparison is finalized by a couplet that expands on the theme of immortality. The sonnet makes it clear that the individual’s beauty and vigor cannot be compared to commonplace nature and that the individual is something more than human. Sonnet 18 is part of the group of sonnets that is written to address men. In this particular one, Shakespeare compares the man’s beauty to that of nature, particularly a day in the summer. The first quatrain begins the extended metaphor by implying that the man being addressed has all the qualities of a summer’s day. This immediately associates the man with the sun and all of its qualities: he is strong, bright, and full of energy. However, by writing: “Though art more lovely and more temperate,” in line two, Shakespeare illustrates the fact that although the best thing nature has to offer, a summer’s day is far from perfect. The first shift happens in line three; the narrator stops talking about the man and begins pointing out the imperfections of summer. He employs vivid imagery to argue that summer’s beauty is hurt by “rough winds” and its “lease hath all too short a date,” (4). Shakespeare also adds that summer may sometimes be too hot, and other times its “gold complexion [is] dimm’d,” (5). This emphasizes the qualities of the man; he is not only more beautiful and serene than a summer’s day, but he is also untroubled by life’s obstacles, always stays perfect, and lasts longer than a day in summer. The last comparison is the first mention of immortality in the sonnet, but this image is expanded upon in later lines. Line seven continues to emphasize the theme of immortality. Shakespeare explains that “ever fair from fair sometime declines,” meaning that all beauty fades whether “by chance” or “nature’s changing course” (8). The fact that Shakespeare employs two lines to point out summer’s decline acts as a focus on a new and powerful observation. “But thy eternal summer shall not fade,” further promotes the theme of eternity. The narrator has used the last three lines to make a point: the man who is being addressed is not only better than summer in every way, but he is also immortal in his beauty. Line eleven finalizes this point by saying that even Death—used as a noun to signify a killer or even Satan himself—will not brag about having the man “wander’st in his shade.” This also creates an image of holiness and infallibility; it makes the man seem not only perfect but god-like in the reader’s eyes. It becomes obvious that Shakespeare holds this man in high esteem and adores him with all his heart. The metaphor ends on line twelve, but it is already clear that no accurate comparisons can be made between the godly youth and a rough, short, hot summer’s day. The last couplet takes the reader’s away from the metaphor and restates the recurrent theme of immortality. Shakespeare explains that by writing this sonnet he guarantees the man eternal life for “as long as men can breath, or eyes can see,” (13). This line finalizes the man’s image as that of a being that is more than a mere human. By being able to transcend time, he becomes a god in Shakespeare’s mind.

Similar Documents

Free Essay

Sonnet 18 Analysis

...Sonnet 18 Shakespeare In "Sonnet 18" by Shakespeare the speaker poses a question to himself as to how to best immortalize his beloved subject. At first he compares his love to a summer's day, which the speaker sees as most beautiful. However, he finds the metaphor imperfect so he decides through internal debate and poetic expression that the best way to immortalize his love is through his own poetry. This method eternalizes both his love for her and her beauty in written words. By exploring the contrast between the subject's beauty and a summer's day, the author proves that love can withstand the course of time. The line "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day" (1) opens the speaker's debate with a comparison between his love and the season of summer; the author questions whether the beloved subject should be compared to a summer's day. In the consequent lines, the narrators begins to compare his subject to a "summer's day" and answer the question posed in line one, and right away makes the point that the subject is superior to summer, with the line "thou art more lovely and more temperate" (2). The faults of summer continue to be proven with phrases such as "rough winds" which describe summer's temporary nature. Unlike summer, "rough winds" do not shake the subject's beauty .The examples made regarding summer in the first quatrain show that summer's beauty does not last forever, it is merely a time of year that passes within a short period of time . Each subsequent...

Words: 346 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

Sonnet 146

...Sonnet 146 Denise Kontara William Shakespeare's 'Sonnet 146' reads as an internal monologue, fundamentally the protagonist is addressing himself. Although the use of transition between multiple metaphors has often been critiqued. As Fred Hasson (2013) suggests “The metaphors are choppy, jumping quickly from the mansion to the worms, and then to Death eating man and vice-versa. The "cost" theme mixes uneasily with the soul/body comparison.”, through a powerful use of metaphor as well as religious notions, the poet brings light to the idea of materialism and earthly greed as catalysts for the souls entrapment in the body and furthermore addresses the potential escape from such boundaries into eternal life. Despite it's ability to appeal to both Christian and Non-Christian audiences, Sonnet 146 has been often declared one of Shakespeare's more Christian poems (David E. Anderson, 2005). This very accurately acts as a reflection of the poems context, with legal requirements on churches to read Psalms from The Book of Common Prayer monthly at the time. Richmond Noble (1940, p4) in 'Shakespeare's Biblical Knowledge' lists at least 135 Psalm references in Shakespeare's plays, also vouching for other such references in the sonnets. Shakespeare's awareness and furthermore use of several Pauline paradoxes becomes apparent through the close study of the thematic structure and development...

Words: 1128 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Poetry Analysis Shall I Comepare Thee (Sonnet 18) by William Shakespeare

...Poetry analysis Shall I Comepare Thee (Sonnet 18) By William Shakespeare Before William Shakespeare died, he managed to write 154 sonnets Out of all 154 sonnets the most famous and well-known is Sonnet 18, which this paper is going to be about. Because the sonnets written by William Shakespeare, was so beloved, all of Shakespeare’s sonnet-heritage is being called Shakespearean sonnets. There are different indicators that, helps to define a sonnet. First of all ‘Shall I Comepare Thee’ consists of fourteen lines, where the eight first lines called the octave presents which aspects the poem will regard. The last six lines called the sestet gives a personal view of what the poem really is about. ‘Shall I Comepare Thee’ is divided by three quatrains followed by a couplet and has the traditional characteristic rhyme scheme of a Shakespearean sonnet: abab cdcd efef gg. The metrical aspect of sonnet 18 is that the poem got written in iambic form with one unstressed syllable followed by one stressed syllable. The sonnet has five feet in each line and therefore it is under pentameter. For example if the 2 first lines in Sonnet 18 should be divided into the rhythm of five in stressed and unstressed syllables it would look like this: The stressed syllables, is the ‘green’ ones and unstressed syllables is the ‘red’ ones. Shall I - compare - thee to - a sum - mer’s day? Thou art - more love - ly and - more tem - perate. Shakespeare starts the poem with the question...

Words: 475 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Hieu

...ANALYSIS OF SHAKESPEARE’S SONNET 18 V. Henriet Lesson plan Class: • 3rd-4th year student’s • Intermediate level Prerequisites: • the class should have already studied Shakespeare’s biography, his main works and should also have a general idea of what a sonnet is. Lecture organisation: • Time: 50 mins. • Additional tools needed: overhead projector, one handout of the sonnet for each student in order to allow them to take notes on the text while explaining and showing the PPT slides. NB: Suggested structure: • Introduction: first reading of the sonnet • 1st part: information on Shakespeare’s sonnets collection (structure and themes) • 2nd part: crucial aspects of the chosen sonnet: themes and main elements • Conclusion: guided analysis of Sonnet 18 Texts: • Text to be read in class: Sonnet 18 • Works cited: Shakespeare’s Sonnets Collection. Objectives: • Students will learn the basic structure of an English Sonnet (i.e., the Elizabethan Form) • They will learn some figures of speech and how to paraphrase a sonnet • Thanks to the visual reinforcement they should more easily remember the sonnet, and its main themes. Shakespeare, Sonnet 18 – (Valentina Henriet) The aim of this lesson is to help students understand 1) what a sonnet is 2) some of the...

Words: 2093 - Pages: 9

Premium Essay

Sonnet 18 by William Shakespeare

...English: poem analysis Compare in detail two or three poems by different poets, discussing the structure and form of each work. Give some idea of the importance of the structure in evaluating the meaning and impact of the poems. In the poem Sonnet 18 by William Shakespeare and Mending Wall by Robert Frost the structure and form of the poems show the significant role on evaluating and highlighting the meaning of time. The two poems are formed completely different in the way the techniques and structure were used but they convey the similar hidden meaning. As one of the characteristic of the usual Shakespearean Sonnets, Sonnet 18 formed as fourteen lines of iambic pentameter with a varied rhyme scheme. It contains 3 quatrains which state the problem leading to the couplet which expresses the theme of the sonnet and presents the solution. Unlike other Shakespearean sonnets, this sonnet is quite easier and understandable than other sonnets because the way he structured the sonnet is simple. At the first glance, the poem simply gives us the idea that how Shakespeare describes his lover by comparing ‘thee’ as summer’s day. Basically, the first quatrain shows the features of summer that followed by the first line of the poem “shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?” After this line, the poet stated the features of summer until line 7. 7th line explains how the summer’s day beauty will fade away by the changing of time and the 8th line stated that thee’s eternal summer day...

Words: 921 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Romeo N Jules

...TermPaperWarehouse.com - Free Term Papers, Essays and Research Documents The Research Paper Factory JoinSearchBrowseSaved Papers Search over 100,000 Essays Home Page » English and Literature Explore the Different Attitudes to Love Are Presented by the Characters in Romeo and Juliet and the Speakers in the Sonnets You Have Studied In: English and Literature Explore the Different Attitudes to Love Are Presented by the Characters in Romeo and Juliet and the Speakers in the Sonnets You Have Studied Explore the different attitudes to love are presented by the characters in Romeo and Juliet and the speakers in the sonnets you have studied. Love is presented through the use of characters, themes, linguistic, structural and contextual references. That pieces are ‘Romeo and Juliet’ written by William Shakespeare, ‘Sonnet 116’ by William Shakespeare again, ‘Sonnet 43’ by Elizabeth Barrett Browning, ‘Sonnet 130’ by Shakespeare and also ‘Sonnet 18’ again by Shakespeare. They were all written in the time that was considered the Elizabethan Era. A religious theme is set in both Romeo and Juliet and sonnet 43 to convey the attitudes to love. In Romeo and Juliet the theme of religion is used to express their love between each other and suggesting it is similar to religion can impose that it is a life-long commitment and will always be there even if they lose faith. At that time their attitude towards religion was very strong and it was their integral, which links to the...

Words: 743 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

Research Paper

...A Format for the Five Paragraphs in a Poetry Analysis Essay: Note: It is important to follow the guidelines for each paragraph as you would a cooking recipe. In other words, for each body paragraph, follow the simple ingredients. Format/Recipe for an Introduction: a). Write one to two sentences that briefly summarize the poem. Your first line should state the name of the poem, the poet’s full name, and the speaker’s intent or main idea. Note: For example, if you were writing about Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18, your first line would look something like, “William Shakespeare’s ‘Sonnet 18’ discusses the conflict that the speaker faces in trying to preserve the beauty of a young and innocent man.” Notice how this opening line follows the above instructions. b). Write about to three sentences that allow you to transition to the element that you will be discussing in your paper. This part is not your argument; this part is designed to transition yourself and your reader to the main point of your paper. c). Write a one to two sentence thesis statement. Your thesis statement will state your overall argument and include at least three rhetorical devices that you will analyze in order to support your argument. Note: For an in-depth discussion on constructing a solid thesis statement for this type of essay, feel free to refer to my previous article in the link provided here: Thesis Statement for a Poetry Analysis Essay Format/Recipe for Body Paragraph 1: a). Write one...

Words: 330 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

William Shakespear

...relative autonomy in comparison with the central court arts of poetry, prose fiction, and the propagandistic masque. When Shakespeare briefly turned to Ovidian romance in the 1590’s and, belatedly, probably also in the 1590’s, to the fashion for sonnets, he moved closer to the cultural and literary dominance of the court’s taste—to the fashionable modes of Ovid, Petrarch, and Neoplatonism—and to the need for patronage. Although the power of the sonnets goes far beyond their sociocultural roots, Shakespeare nevertheless adopts the culturally inferior role of the petitioner for favor, and there is an undercurrent of social and economic powerlessness in the sonnets, especially when a rival poet seems likely to supplant the poet. In short, Shakespeare’s nondramatic poems grow out of and articulate the strains of the 1590’s, when, like many ambitious writers and intellectuals on the fringe of the court, Shakespeare clearly needed to find a language in which to speak—and that was, necessarily, given to him by the court. What he achieved within this shared framework, however, goes far beyond any other collection of poems in the age. Shakespeare’s occasional poems are unquestionably minor, interesting primarily because he wrote them; his sonnets, on the other hand, constitute perhaps the language’s greatest collection of lyrics. They are love lyrics, and...

Words: 4547 - Pages: 19

Premium Essay

Theme of Love

...Rebecca Kinard Professor Scollon English 102 Mondays and Wednesdays at 1:45-3:00 19 February 2014 The main theme of the two poems is love. However, their prospective on the topic differs just slightly. In “Love is Not All” by Edna St. Vincent Millay tells how love will not cure a sickness or injury, but in some way it is still a necessity in life. Whereas in “Since feeling is First” by E. E. Cummings describes how love is more important than logic in the end and how you should not worry about what you are getting out of love because it is essential for a well-balanced life. The main theme in the two poems is how love is not explainable, but is needed for a well-balanced life. They both portray that love is not necessarily logical. It cannot be described or explained perfectly because you do not think about it. It just needs to be in your life. Love never heals the sick or weak, but it does have a powerful influence on our well-being. Love is not all about living in the reality of things. However, at the end of it all they still represent what someone feels love is and the main theme in both of these poems is love. Even though they are comprised of the same theme they are very much different on the point of view of love and also structure. Their prospective on love can cause these poems not to be paired together because they are so different. “Love is Not All” asks the question what can love do for you, why do we hold love so highly. It also explains that even though...

Words: 1098 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Byron

...dwelling-place. And on that cheek, and o’er that brow, So soft, so calm, yet eloquent, The smiles that win, the tints that glow, But tell of days in goodness spent, A mind at peace with all below, A heart whose love is innocent! "She Walks in Beauty" is a poem written in 1814 by Lord Byron. One of Lord Byron’s most famous, it is a lyric poem that describes a woman of much beauty and elegance. TITLE: What’s Up With the Title? We usually refer to this poem simply by its first line, "She Walks in Beauty." But the first line does more than introduce the subject of the poem – a beautiful woman. The first line of the poem (and therefore the title) is an apparently conscious echo of the famous sonnet by William Shakespeare, "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day" (Sonnet 18). Except, of course, instead of comparing the beautiful woman to a "summer's day," Byron compares her to "night." So he's not just setting up a contrast between night and day, he's also setting up a contrast between himself and Shakespeare.  This is a pretty gutsy move, if you think about it – even in the early nineteenth century, when Byron was writing, Shakespeare was generally accepted to be the greatest English poet of all time. Usually, when poets referenced Shakespeare, they did so in an almost reverential way. But here, Byron gives Shakespeare a shout-out, only to turn Shakespeare's simile on its ear...

Words: 3846 - Pages: 16

Premium Essay

Romeo and Juliet - Ex

...Romeo and Juliet William Shakespeare Pre-reading 1. Vocabulary: Match word and definition. Words that may come in handy. Match the words in the left column with the explanations in the right column, and write the word over the definition. imagery | Word: Simile a comparison using “like” or “as” | soliloquy | Word: Run-on lines which the sense runs from one line to the next; lines which are not end-stopped. | blank verse | Word: Assonance the repetition of vowel sounds | tragic flaw | Word: Imagery language that produces pictures in the imaginations of people reading or listening | scene | Word: Blank verse unrhymed verse written in iambic pentameter | personification | Word: Dramatic irony difference between the situation as known to the audience and as supposed by some or all the characters of the play | stage | Word: Rhyming couplet two lines of verse of equal length that rhyme one after the other | assonance | Word: Dialogue verbal exchange between two or more characters on the stage | antithesis | Word: Iambic Pentameter a ten syllable line of verse with five stresses: di dum, di dum, di dum, di dum, di dum | metaphor | ...

Words: 1467 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

An Old Woman

...A sonnet of fourteen lines divided between three quatrains and an ending couplet, "To India My Native Land" is a song of love and deep emotion from Henry Louis Vivian Derozio to his "fallen country," India. The poem was published before Derozio's untimely death at the age of twenty-two from cholera in 1831. The abab abcc dede ff rhyme scheme employed by Derozio is most clearly identifiable as a variation of Edmund Spenser's Amoretti rhyme scheme. In Derozio's, there is Spenserian concatenation (rhyme and meaning linkage) at the cc couplet in the second quatrain. It is at this couplet that the poetic speaker hits the crescendo of his song and reveals the emotional motivation behind the story he tells and behind the resolution he will promise. In an apostrophe addressing India, the poetic persona, who is tightly associated with Derozio himself, recounts India's "days of glory past" when glory, reverence, and deity were like a "beauteous halo circled round thy brow." These four short lines of iambic pentameter paint a vivid picture of the India that existed before British colonization. They also reveal the deep emotional ties the persona has to the memory of the true India, the free India, the India that commanded respect from other civilizations.  The address to India continues in the second quatrain, but line 5 turns the topic from glory to misery. India's fallen estate under colonization is lamented and compared to a subdued eagle whose wings are chained, which renders...

Words: 2456 - Pages: 10

Premium Essay

Literary Studies

...Unit A Assignment 1: Poetry The two poems that I have chosen that I feel deserve a detailed analysis are 'The Road Not Taken' by Robert Frost and 'The Soldier' by Rupert Brooke. Robert Lee Frost was quite simply, one of America's leading 20th century poets. It could be because he wrote poems about rural life, drawing a distinct contrast between its innocence and peacefulness , and the depression and corruption of city life. It could also be because he used traditional verse forms that were understood by one and all. It might even be that people sensed his step forward in the direction of modernizing the interplay of rhythm and meter while writing exactly how people spoke. His poetry has been called traditional, experimental, regional, universal and even pastoral. And on the other hand Robert Chawner Brooke was an English poet know for his idealistic war sonnets written during the First World War. He was also known for boyish good looks. He was an established and rising poet with a strong academic reputation, important literary friends and potentially career changing political links. The reason why I have chosen 'The Road Not Taken' is because this poem deals with the choices we must make in life and the consequences of those choices. Frost is making an allegorical statement that basically says "there is no need to follow the steps of others". Often in life we are asked repeatedly to choose from a series of decisions that are based on the decisions that others...

Words: 2270 - Pages: 10

Free Essay

Stuff

...Skyline High School pre-AP/AP English Summer Reading List . The following books are required summer reading for students taking AP English IV courses at Skyline High School in 2016-2017. Students must have the assigned reading completed by the first day of classes. It is recommended that students create an AP Test preparation card for each work of literary merit that has been completed. In addition, students should expect a test which evaluates their comprehension of the assigned reading within the first two weeks of the school year. AP English IV (11th grade students entering AP IV in 2016-2017) Seniors should create a synopsis card for each novel read of literary merit. Your teacher will explain how this will prepare you for the open questions for the AP Literature exam. As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas C, Foster Complete writing assignments from the chapter sheet that accompanies Foster. See Assignments on the back of this sheet. Access this link for tips on dialectical journal entries: https:www.YouTube.com/watch?v=CBsJTqfB1Ws AP English IV Writing Assignments Directions: Complete assignments for chapters 1-10 as you read Foster’s work. Writing Assignments for How to Read Literature like a Professor By Thomas C. Foster (Adapted from Donna Anglin by Sandra Effinger) Introduction: How’d He Do That? How do memory, symbol, and pattern affect the reading of literature? How does the recognition of patterns make it easier to...

Words: 1265 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

William Shakespeare

...Mindanao State University College of Education Training Department General Santos City A TERM PAPER On THE LEGACY OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement in English IV S.Y. 2012-2013 Submitted to: MR. JUDY L. BALDEMOR, MaEd Submitted by: MICHELLE P. BERDONAR The Legacy of William Shakespeare Shakespeare, William (1564-1616), was an English playwright and poet. He is generally considered as the greatest dramatist the world has ever known and the finest poet who has written in the English language. Shakespeare has also been the world’s most popular author. No writer’s play have been produced so many times or read widely in so many countries. Scholars have written thousands of books and articles about his plots, characters, themes, and language. As a matter of fact, almost four hundred years after Shakespeare’s death there are 157 million referring him on Google. He began a successful life in London. Shakespeare’s profession was acting. He is listed in documents of 1592, 1598 and 1603 as an actor. Some of us know that he acted in a Ben Johnson play and also in his own plays, but its thought that he is a very busy man, writing, managing the theatre, and commuting between London and Stratford, where his family was, he didn’t undertake big roles. There are evidences that he played the ghost in Hamlet and Adam in As You Like It. Being the most famous writer in the world, Shakespeare left us neither journals nor letters-...

Words: 2780 - Pages: 12