Topic > Literary analysis of sonnet n. 18 by William Shakespeare

IndexOutline of the sonnetIntroductionBiographical contextSonnet n.18: Love, time and true beauty Literary devices in sonnet n.18ConclusionExample essay on the sonnetWorks citedOutline of the sonnetIntroductionDefinition and meaning of sonnetsIntroduction to William Shakespeare's sonnets and their themesContext biographicalBrief overview of William Shakespeare's life and early yearsEducation and familyTransition to London and success as a playwrightSonnet no. 18: Love, time and true beautyAnalysis of the themes of sonnet n. 18Examination of the theme of love and its representation in the sonnetExploration of the relationship between time and beauty in poetryDiscussion on the concept of true beauty and its representation in the sonnetLiterary articles in sonnet no. 18Identify and explain the literary devices used in the sonnetExamples of metaphors, hyperbole, allegory, and personificationThe role of diction and rhyme scheme in the structure of the sonnetConclusionSummary of the meaning and effectiveness of sonnet no. 18 in conveying its themesReflection on William Shakespeare's skill in creating this sonnetSample Essay on SonnetSonnets are known by their structure. A sonnet is a 14-line poem that most of the time has a rhyme scheme. William Shakespeare wrote over 100 sonnets, but they are not known for their sonnet-like structure, they are known for their moving themes or underlying messages. Much of Shakespeare's sonnet portrays obsessive love. The best known sonnet written by William Shakespeare among over 100 would have to be Sonnet No. 18. Specifically, in “Sonnet n. 18” William Shakespeare uses metaphors, images, allegories and comparisons to show the main ideas of love, time and true beauty. William Shakespeare is believed to have been born in Stratford-upon-Avon, United Kingdom on April 23, 1554, to his parents John and Mary Shakespeare. Three days later, on April 26, he was baptized. He attended school at Stratford School. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get Original EssayWhen Shakespeare was about 14 years old, his father's finances began to suffer. At this point, some people believe he was pulled from school, but there is no firm evidence that that is what happened. At age 18 he met Anne Hathaway, got her pregnant, but got permission to marry her under special circumstances. They had three children Susanna, Hamnet and Judith. In 1580 Shakespeare left everything he knew, home and family, to go to London and launch his theatrical career. By 1592 he had found success in London dramaturgy, writing poems, sonnets, plays, etc. His name and work continued to gain popularity, and in 1599 the Globe Theater was built and opened. The Globe Theater is the reason Shakespeare made a lot of money. He didn't care where his family was and started working as a prostitute. In 1600 he wrote the major plays we know today such as Othello, Macbeth and King Lear. At this point in life, he has reinvested himself in building a relationship with his children. In the summer of 1613 the Globe Theater burned down and he decided to retire to Stratford, but he still had a fortune. William Shakespeare died on his birthday, April 23, 1616. The theme conveyed in Sonnet No. 18 is love, time and true beauty. Let's start with the theme of love. As soon as you read the first two lines you see the poet describing the person as lovely. “Should I compare you to a summer's day? You are more lovable and more temperate:” A summer day is hot and terrible and the poet is saying that this person is much better than a summer day.The temporal aspect comes into play when the poet says "And every beautiful from beautiful sometimes declines, by chance, or nature's changing course is not cut." Here we also see the connection that is created between time and the theme of true beauty. “The first lines of the sonnet play on the proverbial formula 'as good as you will see on a summer's day', which means 'as good as the best there is'. However, he goes on to refer to how time affects beauty.” Time passes no matter what, there is no way to stop it and as time goes by we get older and our appearance will not stay the same while this happens. “Nor lose possession of the beauty you possess.” Shakespeare is trying to convey that even though people age and their physical beauty may not be visible, their true beauty lies within them. This poem talks a lot about the seasons, in a descriptive way. It is full of images to help the reader feel what the poet feels. Literary critic Joanne Woolway states that "The 'dear blossoms of May' and the 'golden complexion' of summer days transport the reader to an idyllic pastoral world where the sun is ever-present. It shines and where nature continually renews itself." The strong winds shake the dear buds of May", the winds are described as strong and the buds are dear, this provides the reader with the sense of touch and sight. "Sometimes too hot the eye of heaven shines, and often its golden complexion darkens". Here the poet refers to the sun, as he appeals to the reader's senses, in this case, to touch and sight, we can understand that the hot sun sometimes shines, but most often its bright rays and warm are stuck.As stated earlier, one of the themes of Sonnet 18 is love, but the tone of the poem could be described as captivating. We immediately see the revelation of this tone when Shakespeare opens the sonnet with the question “Shall I compare you to a summer day?". When I discussed the theme I used this quote to show the poet's love for whoever the sonnet was written for. why, but now I want to take it a step further and apply it to the tone of the poem. Shakespeare asks this question and then does exactly what he just asked. This causes the reader to dwell on this thought of love, and as the poem continues, he continues to do so while keeping his attention drawn to this idea of ​​love. Sonnet no. 18 focuses on true beauty and the words chosen by Shakespeare show it perfectly such as “eternal”, “possession”, “of nature” and “heaven”. Throughout the poem Shakespeare tries to convey that true beauty lies within and does not fade away. These words play into this perfectly. “Nor lose possession of the beauty you possess.” This phrase literally says don't lose possession of the beauty you have. If Shakespeare had chosen to use a different word instead of “possession” the phrase would not have had the same meaning here. The word “eternal” is also important to this poem because one of the main ideas is that beauty lasts forever, and eternal literally means forever. Shakespeare hit the nail on the head with this word, eternal is probably the most moving word he could have chosen to use. “In no other sonnet does the speaker match the unabashed confidence, even brazenness, with which the poet-lover in Sonnet 18 boasts of his power in rivalry with the “advantage” of death. It all comes back to diction. As for the rhyme scheme, all Shakespearean poems are written in iambic pentameter. Iambic pentameter has five rules or guidelines which are: Monosyllabic content words and the primary stressed syllables of polysyllabic content words on the metric beat, A word with function.