"Not marble, nor the gilded monuments“
(Sonnet 55 ) by William Shakespeare
KAVITA
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ENGLISH
Born
Baptised 26 April 1564 (birth date unknown)
Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire,England
Died
23 April 1616 (aged 52)
Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England
Occupation
Playwright, poet, actor
Nationality
English
Period
English Renaissance
Spouse(s)
Anne Hathaway (m. 1582–1616)
Children
Relative(s)

Susanna Hall

Hamnet Shakespeare

Judith Quiney

John Shakespeare (father)

Mary Shakespeare (mother)
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ENGLISH
About William Shakespeare
•
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely
regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's preeminent
dramatist.
His
extant
works
consist
of
about
38 plays, 154 sonnets, two long narrative poems, and a few other
verses. His plays have been translated into every major living language and
are performed more often than those of any other playwright. Shakespeare
produced most of his known work between 1589 and 1613. His early plays
were mainly
comedies and histories. He then wrote mainly tragedies until
about 1608, including Hamlet, King Lear, Othello, and Macbeth, considered
some of the finest works in the English language. In his last phase, he
wrote tragicomedies, also known as romances, and collaborated with other
playwrights.
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ENGLISH
Sonnet
•
A
sonnet
is
a
poetic
form
which
originated
in
Italy;
the Sicilian poet Giacomo da Lentini is credited with its invention. The
term sonnet derives from the Italian word sonetto, meaning "little song",
and by the thirteenth century it signified a poem of fourteen lines that
follows a strict rhyme scheme and specific structure. Conventions
associated with the sonnet have evolved over its history. One of the bestknown sonnet writers is William Shakespeare. A Shakespearean, or English,
sonnet consists of fourteen lines structured as three quatrains and a
couplet. The rhyme scheme in a Shakespearean sonnet is a-b-a-b, c-d-c-
d, e-f-e-f, g-g; the last two lines are a rhyming couplet.
Introduction to Shakespeare's Sonnets
• Shakespeare wrote 154 sonnets, likely
composed over an extended period from 1592
to 1598 .The majority of the sonnets (1-126)
are addressed to a young man, with whom the
poet has an intense romantic relationship. The
final sonnets (127-154) are addressed to a
promiscuous and scheming woman known to
modern readers as the dark lady.
"Not marble nor the gilded monuments“
Quatrain 1
• Not marble, nor the gilded monuments
Of princes, shall outlive this powerful rhyme;
But you shall shine more bright in these contents
Than unswept stone, besmear'd with sluttish time.
Not marble nor the gilded monuments“
Quatrain 2
• When wasteful war shall statues overturn,
And broils root out the work of masonry,
Nor Mars his sword nor war's quick fire shall burn
The living record of your memory.
Not marble nor the gilded monuments“
Quatrain 3 and couplet
• 'Gainst death and all oblivious enmity
Shall you pace forth; your praise shall still find room,
Even in the eyes of all posterity
That wear this world out to the ending doom.
So, till the judgment that yourself arise,
You live in this, and dwell in lovers' eyes.
Introduction to Shakespeare's Sonnets
• Shakespeare wrote 154 sonnets, likely composed over an extended
period from 1592 to 1598. The majority of the sonnets (1-126) are
addressed to a young man, with whom the poet has an intense
romantic relationship. The final sonnets (127-154) are addressed to
a promiscuous and scheming woman known to modern readers as
the dark lady. It is not known whether the poems and their
characters are fiction or autobiographical.
Summary
Quatrain 1
•
William Shakespeare's "Sonnets 55" serves as a living record for the
narrator's beloved, the young man. The two major themes in this poem are
the passage of time and immortalization through the written word. The
narrator begins the sonnet by saying that neither marble nor gilded
monuments of princes will outlive this powerful rhyme. This is a bold
statement for the narrator to make; he asserts that his writing is more
valuable than even the most expensive royal artifacts. The phrase "powerful
rhyme" also calls to mind the adage "the pen is mightier than the sword," .
Summary
Quatrain 1
•
The narrator then goes on to compare two things that really aren't
comparable: the young man will shine more bright in these verses than
an un-swept stone that is besmeared with sluttish (slovenly) time or
put in another way the young man will shine more brightly in these
verses than in a stone tomb or effigy that time wears away and covers
with dust. The young man is described as bright and the tomb is
described as dark and dusty; so there is really no contest, the young
man is automatically deemed more attractive.
Summary
Quatrain 2
• The young man's life and beauty will never be forgotten. "Wasteful"
(ruin/ pointless) wars will ruin beloved statues, and "broils" (battles)
will lay waste to the mason's work, but the young man's memory
will prevail. Mars is the Roman god of war, in the Roman tradition it
was said that people died happily on his battlefield. Neither Mars,
one of the greatest warriors of all time, nor fire will be able to erase
these verses.
Summary
Quatrain 3 and couplet
• The young man will continue forth against death and all "oblivious"
(the condition of being forgotten) "enmity" (ill-will). His beauty will
continue to be praised by future generations until the Judgment
Day. In Christianity, Judgment Day follows the resurrection of the
dead and the second coming of Christ, and it is when God judges all
humans and decides if they are worthy to enter into heaven. In the
final couplet, the narrator declares that his beloved will enter into
heaven upon Judgment Day, but until that day comes he will forever
be alive in these verses and be loved by all who read them. Who
was "Mr. W. H."?
Vocabulary
•
broils = tumult, fighting, disturbances, esp. in war
•
gilded monuments - Memorials in churches would often be decorated with
gold leaf.
•
•
•
unswept stone - a stone monument left uncared for
sluttish = of unclean habits and behavior; lewd and whorish
wasteful war - war devastates city and country
•
broils = tumult, fighting, disturbances, esp. in war
•
'Gainst = against
•
Mars =the God of war
Vocabulary
•
•
living record = the memory of you which continues after your death
Shall you pace forth = you shall stride forwards. The image is perhaps that
of leading a procession, or of striding on to a stage.
•
find room = be given time and space
•
Even in the eyes of = in the very presence or sight, in the opinion of.
all posterity = all future generations.
•
the ending doom = the last judgement. When the world comes to an end,
according to Christian mythology, the fate (doom) of all humans who have
ever lived is finally decided
• Few instances of the various literary devices
used in the poem are:
• Alliteration: Nor Mars, nor war’s, nor marble,
nor gilded
• Hyperbole: shall outlive this powerful rhyme
• Personification: Your praise shall still find
room