William Shakespeare
Sonnet 60
Sonnet 60
a Like as the waves make towards the pebbled shore,
b So do our minutes hasten to their end;
a Each changing place with that which goes before,
b In sequent toil all forwards do contend.
c Nativity, once in the main of light,
d Crawls to maturity, wherewith being crowned,
c Crooked eclipses 'gainst his glory fight,
d And Time that gave doth now his gift confound.
e Time doth transfix the flourish set on youth
f And delves the parallels in beauty's brow,
e Feeds on the rarities of nature's truth,
f And nothing stands but for his scythe to mow:
g And yet to times in hope, my verse shall stand
g Praising thy worth, despite his cruel hand.
Problem/Solution Pattern
• The problem is that time passes relentlessly,
human life is short, and time is the destroyer of
human life.
• The solution is that despite Time’s cruel hand, the
poet’s verse will live on and continue to praise the
youth’s worth. The poem will immortalise the
youth and allow his beauty to live forever,
regardless of the passage of time.
Quatrain 1
• Quatrain 1 is about the passage of time and
uses the tide as a metaphor. Just as waves
cycle forward and replace one another on
the beach, so do minutes struggle forward in
sequent toil.
Quatrain 2
• Quatrain 2 is about the passage of human
life and uses the sun during the span of a
day as a metaphor:
– The sun crawls forward out of the sea
– The sun is crowned with maturity in the sky
– The sun is darkened by the crooked eclipses of
age
Quatrain 3
• Quatrain 3 is about time as a ravaging
monster responsible for the ravages in
human life.
Line I
“Like as the
waves make
towards the
pebbled shore,”
Analysis: Like
the way in
which the
waves move
towards the
pebbled shore
Line II
“So do our minutes hasten
to their end;”
Analysis: The imagery is of
the disappearance and
dissipation of each wave
as it beats on the shore.
The waves are a simile of
human life in that human
life has an ending. The
individual waves mimic
the disappearance of the
“minutes” (of human
life).
Line III
“Each changing place
with that which
goes before,”
Analysis: Waves
appear to change
place with each
other. As one rolls
away, another takes
its place.
Line IV
“In sequent toil all
forwards do
contend.”
Analysis: In sequent
toil suggests labour
in a regular
sequence, and
perhaps the
harshness of life’s
journey. The waves
march forward to
contend, or fight, as
lines of troops do in
a battle.
Line V
“Nativity, once in the main of
light,”
Analysis: A human life is
compared to the sun.
Nativity means birth so a
new born child is implied.
The main refers to the sea,
and being in the main
implies being in the open
sea. In the main of light is
therefore in the open sea of
light, where the light of the
sun is most bright.
Line VI
“Crawls to maturity,
wherewith being
crowned,”
Analysis: The youth crawls
upward toward noon (the
“crown” of “maturity”).
The sun is the hottest and
brightest at noon.
Line VII
“Crooked eclipses 'gainst his
glory fight,”
Analysis: The life is
suddenly undone by
crooked eclipses, which
fight against the sun’s
glory. Eclipses were
considered dangerous
events that brought bad
luck. An eclipse is also
the struggle of darkness
against light, where the
darkness fights against the
glory of the sun, but
figuratively against the
glory of youth.
Line VIII
“And Time that gave
doth now his gift
confound.”
Analysis: Time’s gift is
life itself , but Time
will inevitably destroy
life.
Line IX
“Time doth transfix
the flourish set on
youth”
Analysis: Time is the
enemy that cuts
down and destroys
all things that are
beautiful. Time
destroys the glory
of youth.
Line X
“And delves the parallels in
beauty’s brow,”
Analysis: Delves the
parallels means digs the
furrows. Parallels were
defensive ditches used in
warfare. These lines
(parallels) are compared
to the wrinkles which line
the forehead as “beauty”
grows older.
Line XI
“Feeds on the rarities of
nature’s truth,”
Analysis: Time is a
monster that feeds on
nature’s beauty.
Line XII
“And nothing stands but
for his scythe to
mow:”
Analysis: Nothing exists
that Time’s scythe
cannot destroy. Time
and Death were
portrayed carrying a
scythe.
Line XIII
“And yet to times in
hope, my verse shall
stand”
Analysis: My verse, as a
beacon of hope, will
stand against time,
both now, and in the
future.
Line XIV
“Praising thy worth,
despite his cruel
hand.”
Analysis: The poet will
use art to praise the
beauty of the youth,
despite Time’s cruel
hand. Line 14 is the
only direct reference
to the youth.
Poetic Devices
• Simile – “Like as the waves make towards the
pebbled shore, / So do our minutes hasten to their
end” (1-2).
• Personification – “Crawls to maturity” (6).
• Alliteration – “Crawls to maturity, wherewith
being crown’d, / Crooked” (6-7).
• Personification – “His gift” (8).
• Personification – “Beauty’s brow” (10).
• Personification – Time “feeds” (11).
• Personification – “His cruel hand” (14).