SONNET 18
DERTERMINING THEMES:
1. “Shall I compare…. Short a date”
Comparing his audience (fair youth or son) to a summer’s day
2. “Sometimes too hot… course untrimmed”
Drawbacks of summer’s day (negative qualities)
3. “But they eternal….thou grow’st”
Eternal beauty of his audience (positive qualities)
4. “So long as men…...life to thee”
Solution of his mortality=eternal life in sonnet itself
DERTERMINING THEMES:
Line 1: Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?
The speaker starts by asking their beloved if they should compare them to a
beautiful summer day. It's a way of saying, "You're really stunning, but..."
Line 2: Thou art more lovely and more temperate.
The speaker quickly answers their own question: their beloved is even more lovely
and pleasant than a summer day. They're not just hot and flashy, but also gentle
and calming.
Lines 3-4: Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, And summer's lease hath all
too short a date.
Summer days are beautiful, but they can be ruined by harsh winds that damage
the delicate flowers. Also, summer doesn't last forever. It's a reminder that beauty
can be fleeting.
Lines 5-6: The sun's not always set in smiling skies, And often is his gold complexion
dimmed;
Even the sun, a symbol of beauty and warmth, can be hidden by clouds or lose its
shine. This further emphasizes the impermanence of external beauty.
Lines 7-8: But thy eternal summer shall not fade, Nor lose possession of that fair thou
owest;
But the speaker's beloved is different. Their beauty is like an eternal summer that
won't fade. They will always possess their amazing qualities.
Lines 9-10: Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade, When in eternal lines to
Time thou growest:
Even death won't claim their beloved's beauty. Instead, the speaker will
immortalize them in their poem, which will last forever.
Lines 11-12: So long as men can breathe or eyes can see, So long lives this, and this
gives life to thee.
As long as people can read and appreciate the poem, the beloved's beauty will live
on. The poem gives them a kind of immortality.
Lines 13-14: For this, being taught by Love, that Love's not blind, Betwixt your red and
white shall make his stand.
The speaker ends by saying that true love isn't blind to flaws. They see the
beloved's beauty, but also their other qualities that make them special.
Structure:
1. 14 lines: Divided into an octave (8 lines) and a sestet (6 lines).
2. Meter: Often iambic pentameter (unstressed, stressed syllable pattern; 5
sets per line).
3. Rhyme scheme: Varies depending on sonnet type, but often intricate and
consistent.
Types of Sonnets:
1. Italian: Octave (ABBAABBA), sestet (CDECDE or CDCDCD). Focuses on a
problem or question, then resolves or answers it.
2. English: Octave (ABAB CDCD), sestet (EFGFGG or EFGEFG). More flexible in
structure and theme.
3. Shakespearean: Similar to English, but with a twist (ABAB CDCD EFEF GG).
Often explores love and passion.
Figurative Language:
1. Metaphor: Direct comparison between two unlike things (e.g., "My love is a
rose").
2. Simile: Comparison using "like" or "as" (e.g., "Her eyes shine like stars").
3. Personification: Giving human qualities to non-human things (e.g., "The
wind whispers secrets").
4. Hyperbole: Exaggeration for effect (e.g., "I love you more than words can
say").
5. Symbolism: Using objects or ideas to represent something else (e.g., a rose
for love).
SUMMARY
Sometime between 1593 and 1603, in the heart of bustling London,
Shakespeare wrote Sonnet 18. It's a love poem dedicated to a young man
called the "Fair Youth," whose beauty inspired the Bard. Forget summer's
fleeting charm, Shakespeare says. The Fair Youth's beauty is eternal, outliving
time and death itself. This powerful poem, born in the lively streets of
Elizabethan England, still touches anyone who has ever loved and longed for
something to last forever.
