Sonnet 18 is one of Shakespeare’s most famous and best-known works. Some people like this poem because of the opening romantic phrase: ”Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day” (Shakespeare line 1). Every avid romanticist knows by heart this comparative metaphor and uses this literary comparison towards their beloved. Many of Shakespeare’s followers wanted to know who William devoted these lines to, but it was impossible as the lady of his heart remained in the shade. While reading this mesmerizing poem full of superlatives, an individual might come up with a claim of this work and try to analyze the hidden meanings behind the lines.
“Sonnet 18” depicts the representation of the real and serene love towards a female friend or a lover. On the surface, this lyric poem is a form of praise and admiration of the superiority and beauty of William’s lover. The writer is so full of unconditional love and affection for his beloved that he introduces a rhetorical question at the end of the poem. William compares his obsession with a person with weather conditions that can be either lovely or nasty. It is not accidental that Shakespeare depicts the weather with all its merits and demerits (such as sunny summer days and windy autumn). In his opinion, love is something unpredictable that can break down a person inside or give them a bright light to thrive, create and endow other people with pleasure and grace. At the end of the poem, Shakespeare says that even death cannot part him with his beloved, as their mutual affection for each other is so strong and blossoming. Shakespeare tries to prove that his love will last forever, and he expresses it by means of Sonnet 18, which guarantees that this romantic adventure will survive even under the seizure of doom and death.
Line-by-Line Analysis
Line 1/2
The opening line is a hook, a rhetorical question that attracts the reader’s attention. The comparison the writer resorts to is a form of a question the narrator wonders to know. He doubts if he suffers from the suffocating pain this love causes, comparing it to “rough winds” (Shakespeare line 2), or if it is a pure pleasure to experience. This rhetorical question is for both the writer and his reader. The representation of the perfect summer day depicts that his love is so passionate and temperate, as it is something virgin and gentle-natured like a mother loves her child with a thrill and trembling. She does not question the reason for her love; she knows it by the default position.
Line 3-8
In general, the whole sonnet is centered around the description of weather with its advantages and disadvantages. The author resorts to an iambic rhythm in his poem to depict weather conditions. There are two seasons involved in this sonnet; the first one is hot summer, which represents the incredible beauty of the writer’s beloved; the second one is autumn, which means the drastic change in weather. This figurative comparison is a way to say that beauty is not the everlasting treasure. It is absorbing, powerful, and alluring, but it tends to fade away quickly. The aging process happens so fast that people cannot notice it, the same way it occurs with hot summers that are so fleeting.
Lines 9-14
The author writes, “thy eternal summer shall not fade”(Shakespeare line 9), he uses this phrase as a counterargument to the lines above. He says that even though they are getting older, nothing can part them and kill their love. Even death is weak and impotent to ruin their affection for each other, as their romantic adventure is eternal and will last forever. Lines 13 and 14 back up the idea of forever-lasting love. Shakespeare claims that even if his lover is advanced in years, for him, she will remain forever young and beautiful.
Sonnet 18 is the confession of Shakespeare’s feelings for his beloved. This witty comparison is considered to be a masterpiece in terms of romantic novellas and poems. This poem is an example of how a man can love a woman no matter what difficulties, pitfalls, or other issues people might face on their life paths. Real love does not require evidence; it lasts, overcoming everything that can affect it, be it the time killing people or other seductive beautiful women. Shakespeare writes, “sometimes too hot the eye of heaven shines” (Shakespeare line 5), meaning that sometimes it is challenging to save love between people. A commitment to another person requires a lot of patience and desire. Only strong-willed people are able not to be distracted or dazzled. The author tries to prove that his lover does not have bases to doubt his words, as even lines on her beautiful face cannot make him fall out of love. These confessions can make every woman happy, as she hears the words everybody is longing to hear.
The writer resorts to a lot of means of speech to prove his claims, such as metaphors, comparison, and repetition. The whole poem is a fugitive and comparative analogy and metaphor. It illustrates the love and beauty that can hardly be beaten by anything if it is blanked with unconditional love and admiration. The author points out that random events are not able to alter his attitude towards his beloved, even if unpleasant circumstances are congealing. Metaphorically, the lover’s beauty is compared to summer that will be eternal and long-standing. As a reader can notice, the word “beauty” is not used in this poem purposely; the writer uses such words as “summer” and “fair” to replace it. It is evident that the rhetorical question implies uncertainty, as William tries to unravel this complicated riddle of love essence. Still, the last sentence gives the reader the image of the author’s determined position, proving the fact that he will love her whatsoever.
William Shakespeare is a master of the word, and he administers the facility for expressing his ideas in a scintillating way. “Sonnet 18” is a romantic story about people who are willing to save their love under any circumstances, be it time or death. It goes without saying, every single woman dreams about a suitor who will love her forever and protect her from all indignities and hardships of life. This poem might be an anthem for beloveds who want to remain forever young and beautiful under the charms of love. Most writers use the love theme as the basis of their works, as this issue raises many controversial issues, such as to last love forever or not. William Shakespeare is a history that, hands down, from generation to generation. His works are soaked in passion and love to make readers hover above the sky, indulging their amorous-related dreams.
Work Cited
Shakespeare, William. Sonnet XVIII, 1609.