Sonnet 18 by William Shakespeare
SONNET 18 TEXT:
"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:
In Sonnet 18, Shakespeare praises the beauty of his beloved by comparing them to a summer's
day.
However, he argues that the beloved is even more beautiful and temperate because summer can be
unpredictable-sometimes too hot,
sometimes too windy, and always fleeting. Unlike summer, the beloved's beauty will not fade, as it is
immortalized in the lines of the poem.
Shakespeare asserts that as long as people read this poem, the beloved's beauty will live on
forever.
EXPLANATION (LINE BY LINE):
1. "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?"
- The poet considers whether he should compare his beloved to a summer day.
2. "Thou art more lovely and more temperate:"
- He concludes that the beloved is more beautiful and balanced than summer.
3. "Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,"
- Summer is not always gentle; strong winds can disrupt the beauty of nature.
4. "And summer's lease hath all too short a date:"
- Summer is temporary and fleeting, lasting only for a short while.
5. "Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,"
- The sun ("eye of heaven") can sometimes be too hot and uncomfortable.
6. "And often is his gold complexion dimm'd;"
- The sun is not always bright; clouds or other elements can dull its shine.
7. "And every fair from fair sometime declines,"
- Everything beautiful eventually loses its charm due to nature or fate.
8. "By chance, or nature's changing course, untrimm'd;"
- Beauty fades either by accident or due to the inevitable passage of time.
9. "But thy eternal summer shall not fade,"
- Unlike nature, the beloved's beauty will never diminish.
10. "Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest;"
- They will not lose the beauty they possess.
11. "Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade,"
- Death will not be able to claim the beloved.
12. "When in eternal lines to time thou growest:"
- The beloved's beauty will live on through the poem.
13. "So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,"
- As long as people exist to read the poem...
14. "So long lives this, and this gives life to thee."
- ...the poem will ensure the beloved's beauty remains immortal.
ANALYSIS:
1. **Theme of Immortality Through Poetry**
- Shakespeare suggests that poetry has the power to grant eternal life to beauty and love.
2. **Contrast Between Nature and Human Beauty**
- The poet contrasts the unpredictability of summer with the timeless beauty of the beloved.
3. **Personification**
- "Death" is personified as a being that might "brag" about taking lives, but poetry defies this.
4. **Metaphor and Imagery**
- "The eye of heaven" (sun) and "eternal summer" are powerful metaphors.
5. **Structure and Rhyme Scheme**
- The sonnet follows a Shakespearean form: 14 lines, ABABCDCDEFEFGG rhyme scheme,
written in iambic pentameter.
CONCLUSION:
Sonnet 18 is one of Shakespeare's most famous sonnets because it beautifully captures the idea
that art can preserve beauty beyond
the limitations of time and nature. By immortalizing his beloved through poetry, Shakespeare
ensures that their beauty will live
on as long as the poem is read.
