Shakespearean Sonnet Analysis—Exam Review
From both our study of poetry and plays, you should recall that the
English or “Shakespearean” sonnet is a 14 line lyric poem written in iambic pentameter (meaning 5 pairs of unstressed/stressed syllables).
The rhyme scheme of all of Shakespeare’s sonnets reinforces the structure of his ideas. There are three quatrains (groups of four) and a rhyming couplet at the end. The problem or conflict is presented in the quatrains and often there is use of metaphors, personification, imagery, and classical allusion. The answer to the problem, conflict, questions is presented in the rhyming couplet—it is here that the theme is often explicitly stated.
Below are some examples of sonnets and paraphrases.
SONNET 15 PARAPHRASE
When I consider every thing that grows When I think that everything that grows
Holds in perfection but a little moment, Has but a brief moment of perfection,
That this huge stage presenteth nought but shows
And that the world is merely a stage upon which
Whereon the stars in secret influence comment; The stars, through their hidden influence, exert their illusions (ie. 'shows' - see above line);
When I perceive that men as plants increase, When I observe that men grow as plants do,
Cheered and cheque'd even by the self-same sky,
Encouraged and nourished by the sky that holds the stars,
Vaunt in their youthful sap, at height decrease, And that they flaunt their youthful vitality, and after reaching their prime begin to decline,
And wear their brave state out of memory; Until their youth has passed from memory;
Then the conceit of this inconstant stay Then the thought of this short stay (on earth)
Sets you most rich in youth before my sight, Brings you in the prime of your youth vividly before my eyes,
Where wasteful Time debateth with Decay, Where the destroyer Time fights against Decay,
To change your day of youth to sullied night; To change brightness of your youth to the dark night of old age;
And all in war with Time for love of you, Because I love you I declare war against Time, and
As he takes from you, I engraft you new.
As he takes from you, I renew your life (in my verse).
Mabillard, Amanda. "An Analysis of Shakespeare's Sonnet 15". Shakespeare
Online. 2000. 01 June 2009 http://www.shakespeare-online.com
.

SONNET 2 PARAPHRASE
When forty winters shall beseige thy brow, Forty years from now, when your brow is wrinkled with age,
And dig deep trenches in thy beauty's field, And you are showing all the other signs of aging,
Thy youth's proud livery, so gazed on now, The pride and greatness of your youth, so much admired by everyone now,
Will be a tatter'd weed, of small worth held: Will be worth as little as a tattered weed:
Then being ask'd where all thy beauty lies, Then, when you are asked 'where is your beauty now?',
Where all the treasure of thy lusty days, And, 'where are all the treasures you had during your days of lust?'
To say, within thine own deep-sunken eyes, You must say only within your own eyes, now sunk deep in their sockets,
Were an all-eating shame and thriftless praise.
Where lies a shameful confession of greed and self-obsession.
How much more praise deserved thy beauty's use,
If you would have only put your beauty to a greater use,
If thou couldst answer 'This fair child of mine If only you could have answered 'This fair child of mine
Shall sum my count and make my old excuse,' Shall give an account of my life and prove that I made no misuse of my time on earth.'
Proving his beauty by succession thine!
Proving that his beauty, because he is your son, was once yours!
This were to be new made when thou art old, This child would be new-made when you are old,
And see thy blood warm when thou feel'st it cold.
And you would see your own blood flow warm through him when you are cold
Mabillard, Amanda. An Analysis of Shakespeare's Sonnet 2. Shakespeare
Online. 2000. 01June 2009 < http://www.shakespeareonline.com/sonnets/2detail.html >.

SONNET 20 PARAPHRASE
A woman's face with Nature's own hand painted
A woman's face, colored by Nature's own hand
Hast thou, the master-mistress of my passion; Have you, the master/mistress of my desire;
A woman's gentle heart, but not acquainted You have a woman's gentle heart, but you are not prone
With shifting change, as is false women's fashion;
To fickle change, as is the way with women;
An eye more bright than theirs, less false in rolling,
You have eyes brighter than their eyes, and more sincere,
Gilding the object whereupon it gazeth; Lighting up the very object that they look upon;
A man in hue, all 'hues' in his controlling, You are a man in shape and form, and all men are in your control,
Much steals men's eyes and women's souls amazeth.
You catch the attention of men and amaze women's souls [hearts].
And for a woman wert thou first created; You were originally intended to be a woman;
Till Nature, as she wrought thee, fell a-doting, Until Nature, made a mistake in making you,
And by addition me of thee defeated, And by adding one extra thing [Nature] defeated me,
By adding one thing to my purpose nothing.
By adding one thing she has prevented me from fully having you,
But since she prick'd thee out for women's pleasure,
But since Nature equipped you for women's pleasure,
Mine be thy love and thy love's use their treasure.
Let your body be their treasure, and let me have your love.
Mabillard, Amanda. An Analysis of Shakespeare's Sonnet 20. Shakespeare
Online. 2000. 01June 2009 < http://www.shakespeareonline.com/sonnets/2detail.html >.
FOR REVIEW:
Examine how, line by line and idea by idea, the writer has paraphrased the sonnets. Notice that a paraphrase stays in the same tense and point of view as the original. Do not, during a paraphrase, translate figurative language or add interpretation. You are just putting the language and ideas in your own words.
You do not worry about rhyme or metre. Your completed paraphrase should make sense and be a fluent read, but just be in your own words.

TRY a paraphrase below and check your understanding on Shakespeare On-line at http://www.shakespeare-online.com/sonnets/33detail.html :
SONNET 33
Full many a glorious morning have I seen
Flatter the mountain-tops with sovereign eye*,
Kissing with golden face the meadows green,
Gilding pale streams with heavenly alchemy;
Anon permit the basest clouds to ride
With ugly rack* on his celestial face,
And from the forlorn world his visage hide,
Stealing unseen to west with this disgrace*:
Even so my sun one early morn did shine
With all triumphant splendor on my brow;
But out, alack! he was but one hour mine;
The region cloud hath mask'd him from me now.
Yet him for this my love no whit disdaineth;
Suns of the world may stain when heaven's sun staineth.