MAHARANI KASISWARI COLLEGE
TUTORIAL PROJECT SUBMITTED FOR THE PARTIAL
FULLFILMENT FOR THE AWARD, OF THE DEGREE OF
B.SC GEOGRAPHY HONOURS WITH RESEARCH
ATTEMPT A CRITICAL APPERECIATION OF THE POEM ‘SONNET 18’
SUBMITTED BY: VAISHNAVI SHAW
UNIVERSITY ROLL NO: 233213110075
COLLEGE ROLL NO: 231
REGISTRATION NO: 213-1211-0303-23
CONTACT NO: 6290475731
SUBJECT CODE: IDC 3
SUBMITTED TO:
DR. RITA CHATTERJEE
AND
DR. ABU FARHA HOQUE
pg. 1
CONTANT PAGE
SERIAL NO TOPIC NAME PAGE NO
1 INTRODUCTION 6
2 CRITICAL 8
APPRECIATION OF
THE POEM
SONNET:18
3 CONCLUSION 12
4 BIBLIOGRAPHY 13
pg. 2
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all those
who have provided support and inspiration throughout my
study and analysis of William Shakespeare's Sonnet 18.
My thanks go to the scholars whose works on
Shakespearean literature have enriched my understanding
of the poem's deeper themes and literary devices. I also
acknowledge the invaluable resources, including
academic texts and online databases, that have allowed
me to explore and interpret the sonnet in a meaningful
way. Finally, I extend my appreciation to the guidance
and encouragement of my peers and mentors Dr. Rita
Chatterjee and A.F. Hoque. whose insightful feedback has
contributed to the development of this analysis.
pg. 3
Abstract
William Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18 explores the themes of
beauty, time, and immortality. The poem begins with a
rhetorical question, comparing the beloved to a summer's
day, only to reveal the fleeting and imperfect nature of
summer. In contrast, the speaker asserts that the beloved's
beauty is eternal, untouched by time or death.
Shakespeare highlights the transient nature of physical
beauty and the inevitability of aging, but counters this
with the idea that poetry itself grants immortality. By
immortalizing the youth’s beauty in verse, the speaker
suggests that the written word transcends time, ensuring
that the subject's beauty endures forever. The poem
underscores the power of art to preserve what is fleeting
and impermanent in the natural world.
Keywords
Shakespeare, Sonnet 18, beauty, immortality, time,
poetry, youth, summer, metaphor, personification,
transience, art, death, preservation.
pg. 4
INTRODUCTION
William Shakespeare (23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616)
was an English playwriter, poet and actor. He is
widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English
language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He
is often called England's national poets and the
"Bard of Avon" (or simply "the Bard"). His extant
works, including collaborations, consist of some 39
plays, 154 sonnets, three long narrative poems and
a few other verses, some of uncertain authorship.
Shakespeare’s legacy is as rich and diverse as his
work; his plays have spawned countless adaptations
across multiple genres and cultures. His plays have
had an enduring presence on stage and film. His
writings have been compiled in various iterations of
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, which
include all of his plays, sonnets, and other poems.
William Shakespeare continues to be one of the
most important literary figures of the English
language.
pg. 5
In this beautiful sonnet, Shakespeare is confused as
to whether he should compare the beauty of his
beloved to a summer’s day or not. He is of the
opinion that his beloved is more beautiful than a
summer’s day, and puts forward various reasons to
support his point of view. He says that the duration
of the summer is very short as it sees the dawn of
winter very quickly (i.e., the end of summer). That’s
one reason the poet says that his beloved is more
beautiful than the summer. Then he moves on to say
that every beautiful thing has to see the end of its
life. It may occur due to natural causes or by
chance. Whatever may be the case, every beautiful
thing will decline in this world.
Thereafter, he turns to his beloved and says that he
will not lose their beauty and it will not decline like
other things. Rather, he will possess this beauty
forever. Death will not be able to touch
Shakespeare's beloved as he has preserved them
through his poetic magic.
The more the verses of Shakespeare are read, the
more the beauty of his beloved will grow. As long as
there are human beings and they live, his beloved
will live. Hence, the poem emphasizes the power of
poetry to capture and preserve beauty beyond the
limits of time and mortality.
pg. 6
CRITICAL APPRECIATION ‘SONNET:18’
ABOUT POET: ‘Sonnet 18’, one of William
Shakespeare's most beloved and enduring
works, is part of his collection of 154 sonnets.
This sonnet, also known by its famous opening
line "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?",
is a celebration of the beauty and immortality of
the poet's subject. Shakespeare explores themes
of love, beauty, and the transcendence of art
through his masterful use of metaphor and
structure.
THEME: The central theme of "Sonnet 18"
revolves around the idea of immortality.
Shakespeare explores how human beauty is
fleeting and subject to the ravages of time, yet
through the power of poetry, beauty can be
preserved forever. In the poem, the beloved's
beauty is compared to the summer’s day, but
unlike the temporary nature of summer, the
pg. 7
beloved's beauty remains eternal in the lines of
the sonnet.
The poem begins by asking if the poet should
compare the beloved to a summer’s day.
However, the speaker quickly concludes that the
beloved is superior—more temperate, and gentle
than the harsh summer. In the second quatrain,
Shakespeare reflects on the impermanence of
summer, noting that it is subject to rough winds
and the inevitable decline of time. In the third
quatrain, the poet asserts that the beauty of the
beloved will never fade and will remain vibrant
forever in the poem. The final couplet affirms
that as long as the poem is read, the beauty of
the beloved will continue to live, undying and
immortal.
TONE: The tone of the poem is one of
admiration and reverence. There is a sense of
gentle awe as the poet describes the beloved’s
beauty, and a tone of reassurance as he promises
that this beauty will endure through poetry. The
pg. 8
final tone is celebratory, emphasizing the eternal
nature of both love and poetry.
Shakespeare uses vivid and rich imagery to
highlight contrasts between the fleeting beauty
of summer and the eternal beauty of the
beloved. The "summer's day" symbolizes
fleeting beauty, while the "darling buds of May"
evoke the idea of youth and potential. "Rough
winds" and "the eye of heaven" (the sun) are
also personified, illustrating the unpredictability
of nature. The "eternal summer" symbolizes the
enduring nature of the beloved's beauty, which,
according to Shakespeare, will never fade.
STRUCTURE AND FIGURE OF SPEECH:
The poem follows the Shakespearean sonnet
form, which consists of 14 lines divided into
three quatrains and a final rhymed couplet. The
rhyme scheme is ABABCDCDEFEFGG, and
each line is written in iambic pentameter. The
regular meter and rhyme scheme lend the poem
a musical, rhythmic quality. The couplet at the
pg. 9
end provides the resolution, underscoring the
theme of immortality.
Metaphor: The entire poem is based on the
metaphor of comparing the beloved’s beauty
to a summer’s day, a symbol for natural
beauty that is impermanent.
Personification: Nature is personified
throughout the poem, with "rough winds"
and "the eye of heaven" (the sun) acting as
characters that influence the seasons.
Alliteration: Repetition of consonant
sounds, such as in “darling buds of May,”
adds to the musicality and rhythm of the
poem.
Hyperbole: The suggestion that the beauty
of the beloved will never fade and will live
forever in the poem is an exaggeration,
emphasizing the power of poetry to
transcend time.
pg. 10
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, Sonnet 18 by William
Shakespeare stands as a timeless expression of
love, beauty, and the immortality of art.
Through its rich metaphors, vivid imagery, and
flawless sonnet structure, Shakespeare
explores the fleeting nature of physical beauty
while asserting the enduring power of poetry to
preserve it. The poem not only immortalizes
the beloved’s beauty but also elevates the
poet's craft, suggesting that art has the power
to transcend time and death. Shakespeare's
exploration of the relationship between time,
beauty, and art continues to resonate with
readers, making Sonnet 18 one of the most
pg. 11
celebrated and universally admired works in
the English literary canon.
pg. 12
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1) Shakespeare, William. Sonnet 18. The
Sonnets of William Shakespeare, edited by
Kenneth Muir, Penguin Classics, 1994.
2) Bloom, Harold. Shakespeare's Sonnets.
Chelsea House, 1998.
3) Johnson, Samuel. The Works of Samuel
Johnson. Vol. 2, J. Dodsley, 1779.
4) Muir, Kenneth, editor. Shakespeare's
Sonnets. Penguin Classics, 1994.
pg. 13
