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    Sonnet Xviii - William Shakespeare

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    Sonnet Xviii - William Shakespeare

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    chawlafillingstation222
    61 views5 pages

    Original Title

    SONNET XVIII - WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

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    61 views5 pages

    Sonnet Xviii - William Shakespeare

    Uploaded by

    chawlafillingstation222

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    of 5

    SONNET XVIII - WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

    Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?


    Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
    Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
    And summer’s lease hath all too short a date:
    Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
    And often is his gold complexion dimm’d;
    And every fair from fair sometime declines,
    By chance or nature’s changing course untrimm’d;
    But thy eternal summer shall not fade
    Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest;
    Nor shall Death brag thou wander’st in his shade,
    When in eternal lines to time thou growest:
    So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
    So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

    SUMMARY:-

    Sonnet 18 by William Shakespeare is one of his most famous and beloved sonnets. It is
    often referred to as "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?" Here's a full summary of
    the sonnet:

    In Sonnet 18, the speaker begins by posing a question: "Shall I compare thee to a
    summer's day?" The rest of the sonnet is an exploration of this question, as the speaker
    goes on to compare the beloved person to a summer's day and explain why they are
    superior to it.

    The speaker starts by acknowledging that comparing the beloved to a summer's day
    might not be the most appropriate or adequate comparison. This is because summer
    days, while beautiful, are fleeting and subject to change. They can be too hot, too short,
    or marred by rough winds. In contrast, the beloved's beauty is more constant and
    everlasting.

    The speaker then goes on to list the shortcomings of a typical summer's day. Summer
    days can be too hot, and sometimes the sun shines too brightly. This can lead to
    discomfort and can be unpleasant. In contrast, the beloved's beauty is not subject to the
    whims of nature and remains constant.
    Furthermore, the speaker mentions that summer days are often marred by rough winds,
    which can shake the beautiful buds of May and cause them to lose their beauty.
    However, the beloved's beauty is not susceptible to such natural disruptions.

    The sonnet concludes by stating that the beloved's beauty will remain immortalized
    forever in the lines of the poem. As long as people read this poem, the beloved's beauty
    will continue to shine, defying the ravages of time and the changing seasons.

    In summary, Sonnet 18 is a tribute to the enduring beauty of the beloved, which is


    compared favorably to a summer's day. It emphasizes the idea that the beloved's beauty
    is more permanent and everlasting than the transient beauty of nature. This sonnet is
    often interpreted as a celebration of the power of poetry to immortalize the ones we
    love.

    The speaker opens the poem with a question addressed to the beloved: “Shall I
    compare thee to a summer’s day?” The next eleven lines are devoted to such a
    comparison. In line 2, the speaker stipulates what mainly differentiates the young man
    from the summer’s day: he is “more lovely and more temperate.” Summer’s days tend
    toward extremes: they are shaken by “rough winds”; in them, the sun (“the eye of
    heaven”) often shines “too hot,” or too dim. And summer is fleeting: its date is too short,
    and it leads to the withering of autumn, as “every fair from fair sometime declines.” The
    final quatrain of the sonnet tells how the beloved differs from the summer in that
    respect: his beauty will last forever (“Thy eternal summer shall not fade...”) and never
    die. In the couplet, the speaker explains how the beloved’s beauty will accomplish this
    feat, and not perish because it is preserved in the poem, which will last forever; it will
    live “as long as men can breathe or eyes can see.”

    Analysis:-

    This sonnet is certainly the most famous in the sequence of Shakespeare’s sonnets; it

    may be the most famous lyric poem in English. Among Shakespeare’s works, only lines

    such as “To be or not to be” and “Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?” are

    better-known. This is not to say that it is at all the best or most interesting or most

    beautiful of the sonnets; but the simplicity and loveliness of its praise of the beloved has

    guaranteed its place.


    On the surface, the poem is simply a statement of praise about the beauty of the

    beloved; summer tends to unpleasant extremes of windiness and heat, but the beloved

    is always mild and temperate. Summer is incidentally personified as the “eye of heaven”

    with its “gold complexion”; the imagery throughout is simple and unaffected, with the

    “darling buds of May” giving way to the “eternal summer”, which the speaker promises

    the beloved. The language, too, is comparatively unadorned for the sonnets; it is not

    heavy with alliteration or assonance, and nearly every line is its own self-contained

    clause—almost every line ends with some punctuation, which effects a pause.

    short questions and answers about this sonnet:

    ​ 1) What is the title of the sonnet?


    ● The title of the sonnet is "Sonnet XVIII."
    ​ 2) What is the central theme of Sonnet XVIII?
    ● The central theme of Sonnet XVIII is the eternal beauty of the beloved,
    often interpreted as a celebration of the enduring power of poetry.
    ​ 3)What is the structure of Sonnet XVIII?
    ● Sonnet XVIII follows the traditional Shakespearean sonnet structure,
    consisting of 14 lines with a rhyme scheme of ABABCDCDEFEFGG.
    ​ 4)How does the speaker describe the beloved's beauty in the sonnet?
    ● The speaker describes the beloved's beauty as more lovely and eternal
    than a summer's day. They use various metaphors to illustrate this, such
    as comparing the beloved's beauty to a "temperate" day and "the eye of
    heaven."
    ​ 5)What is the speaker's attitude toward the passage of time in Sonnet XVIII?
    ● The speaker expresses the idea that the beloved's beauty will not fade
    with time. They suggest that while summer may eventually end and beauty
    may diminish, the beauty of the beloved will remain immortalized in the
    lines of the sonnet.
    ​ 6)What is the purpose of Sonnet XVIII according to the speaker?
    ● The purpose of Sonnet XVIII, according to the speaker, is to ensure that
    the beloved's beauty will be preserved forever through the enduring power
    of poetry.
    ​
    ​ 7)What is the volta in Sonnet XVIII?
    ● The volta in Sonnet XVIII occurs at the beginning of the ninth line (the start
    of the third quatrain), where the speaker shifts from describing the
    beloved's beauty to asserting that it will be eternalized through the poem.
    ​ 8)How does Sonnet XVIII contribute to the overall themes of Shakespeare's
    sonnets?
    ● Sonnet XVIII contributes to the theme of the immortality of poetry and the
    power of art to preserve beauty and love. It is part of a larger collection of
    sonnets where Shakespeare explores various facets of love, beauty, and
    time.

    LONG QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS:-

    Question 1: What is the central theme of Sonnet 18?

    Answer: The central theme of Sonnet 18 is the enduring nature of poetry and love. The
    speaker begins by comparing the beloved to a summer's day, highlighting the transient
    and fleeting nature of summer. However, as the sonnet progresses, the speaker argues
    that the beauty of the beloved will not fade like the passing seasons because it has
    been immortalized in the lines of the poem.

    Question 2: How does the speaker describe the beloved in Sonnet 18?

    Answer: In Sonnet 18, the speaker describes the beloved as more lovely and temperate
    than a summer's day. The beloved's beauty is said to be eternal, unlike the changing and
    sometimes harsh nature of summer. The speaker uses metaphors and imagery to
    praise the beloved's beauty, emphasizing that it will never diminish.
    Question 3: What literary devices are used in Sonnet 18?

    Answer: Sonnet 18 employs various literary devices, including:

    ● Metaphor: The comparison of the beloved to a summer's day is a central


    metaphor in the sonnet.
    ● Personification: Summer is personified as having "rough winds" and a "too hot"
    nature.
    ● Imagery: The sonnet creates vivid mental images of summer, the beloved, and
    the idea of immortality through verse.
    ● Rhyme scheme: The sonnet follows the traditional Shakespearean (or English)
    sonnet rhyme scheme, which is ABABCDCDEFEFGG.
    ● Enjambment: There are several instances of enjambment, where a thought or
    phrase carries over from one line to the next without a pause.

    Question 4: How does the sonnet address the theme of immortality?

    Answer: The sonnet addresses the theme of immortality by asserting that the beauty of
    the beloved will live on forever through the lines of the poem. The speaker believes that
    as long as people continue to read the sonnet, the beloved's beauty will remain
    undiminished, defying the ravages of time and death. In this way, the poem itself
    becomes a vehicle for preserving the beloved's beauty for eternity.

    Question 5: What emotional tone does Sonnet 18 convey?

    Answer: Sonnet 18 conveys a tone of deep admiration, love, and devotion. The speaker's
    affection for the beloved is evident in the praise and flattery used to describe their
    beauty. There is also a sense of confidence and reassurance in the idea that the
    beloved's beauty will live on forever, which adds a positive and hopeful tone to the
    sonnet.

    Question 6: Why is Sonnet 18 considered one of Shakespeare's most famous sonnets?

    Answer: Sonnet 18 is considered one of Shakespeare's most famous sonnets because


    of its timeless and universal themes. The idea of immortalizing love and beauty through
    poetry resonates with readers across cultures and generations. Additionally, the
    sonnet's beautiful language, vivid imagery, and well-crafted metaphors make it
    accessible and appealing to a wide audience. Its enduring popularity has cemented it as
    one of the most celebrated poems in the English language.

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