1. The theme of the poem: Sonnet 18 is one
of the most beautiful sonnets written by
Shakespeare, in which he has a profound
meditation on the destructive power of time
and the eternal beauty brought forth by
poetry to the one he loves. A nice summer's
day is usually transient, but the beauty in
poetry can last for ever. Thus Shakespeare
has a faith in the permanence of poetry. So
this sonnet has the conventional theme that
his poetry will bring eternity to the one he
2. The structure of the poem:
1-4: introduction– you are better and longer
lasting than summer’s day.
5-8: bad points of summer.
9- 12: Why you are better.
13-14: summary: the eternal beauty brought
forth by poetry.
3.Artistic feature:
1) A proper form can reflect and reinforce
the content.
2) Lines 2 and 4 only half-rhyme or “eye”
rhyme( i.e. look the same and sound similar
but not the same). Sometimes intended here
because of change in pronunciation of
language to avoid dullness or for stress.
3) The use of personification and metaphor
to show the witty of the poet: The day is
described as a person– “eye”, “complexion”;
The person is described as a day-”thy
summer”
4) Lines 6&7, 10& 11, 13 & 14 begin with
the same words,also line 14 alliteration;
this gives unity to the poem as well as
making the end.
Shall I compare thee to a summer's day(l) ?
(3) untrimmed: stripped of
Thougay
art more
lovely
and
more
temperate:
apparel. (4) ow'st: ownest.
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer's lease hath all too short a date(2):
Sometime
hot the eyeday:
of heaven
(1)atoo
summer's
Hereshines
it
And often
his gold
dimmed;
mayisrefer
to complexion
a period or
the
And every
fair of
from
fair sometimes declines,
season
summer.
By (2)date:
chance orthenature's
changing
period of
a lease.course
untrimmed(3);
1
But thy eternal summer shall not fade,
Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow'st(4);
Nor shall death brag thou wander'st in his shade,
When in eternal lines(5) to time thou grow'st:
So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.
(5) lines: such as the lines of this poem and
other sonnets.