Introduction
Time plays a significant role in the literary works of William Shakespeare. On the one hand, it is a notion that impacts the characters within the plays, while on the other hand, it affects the world through much deeper processes. The Shakespearean sonnets are particularly important when examining the author’s approach to viewing and describing the temporary nature of the world.
Namely, Sonnets 60, 64, and 65 exemplify Shakespeare’s views on time transitions, their impact, and the extent to which they occur. Similarly, critiques add to the pool of knowledge regarding their interpretation of the phenomenon described in Shakespearean plays and other works. Time is presented as an unstoppable force that destroys everything and impacts every process and element, except for art, which can immortalize beauty despite its impermanence.
Time and the Eternal in Sonnet 60
Sonnet 60 is one of the literary pieces that presents time as an unstoppable force that impacts every element imaginable. For example, the verse “Like as the waves make towards the pebbled shore, so do our minutes hasten to their end” highlights that transformations are not limited to humans (Shakespeare 1-2). In this instance, time is portrayed as omnipotent and catastrophic for humankind, as no person is safe from experiencing the transitions into different stages of life and ultimately experiencing death. The argument is further highlighted in the following verses from Sonnet 60, “Nativity, once in the main of light, crawls to maturity” (Shakespeare 5-6). The narrator formulates that time does not spare children who will inevitably grow old, just as everything experiences change.
Despite the depressing portrayal of transitions, the eternal is highlighted as a possibility. It is stated that “yet to times in hope my verse shall stand, praising thy worth, despite his cruel hand” (Shakespeare 13-14). The idea that art can withstand time highlights the verses’ significance. Hence, one can immortalize an element that will remain preserved in its full glory, undamaged by the destructive nature of the world, which implies that everything has a beginning and an end. While it is exemplified that nothing can exist forever and withstand change, literary art can encapsulate beauty, such as someone’s youth. Hence, youth will not become mature and inevitably die, but will remain in their best form on paper.
Time in Sonnet 64
In Sonnet 64, time is similarly presented as a phenomenon that leads to the inevitable destruction of all. However, the focus in this particular literary piece goes beyond the portrayal of time as an ender of things and processes and highlights the death of love. Namely, the verse “Time will come and take my love away” highlights the impact on human relations (Shakespeare 12).
Needless to say, the author does not directly imply that emotions pass. Instead, as someone who inspires love is not eternal and will change or pass, the feelings associated with said individuals will inevitably be gone. The verse is significant as it illustrates the subjective effects of such transitions. On the one hand, the temporary nature can be attributed to all the elements of life, such as nature, civilizations, and traditions. However, the author emphasizes a less significant humanity-wise yet more disruptive individual-wise loss of love.
The destructiveness of time is also highlighted in relation to nature, similar to the previously mentioned theme in Sonnet 60. Namely, it is stated that the narrator witnessed the “hungry ocean gain advantage on the kingdom of the shore.” (Shakespeare 5). The ocean devours the shore just as time devours everything there is.
Thus, the slow process of raising water is being applied to describe how transitions occur in all processes and elements of the Earth, despite them being potentially invisible from a human perspective. The significance of the verse is exemplified in the idea that nothing can escape the damaging effect of the pattern of change, and everything is ephemeral. The transient characteristic can be applied to humans, emotions, and nature.
Sonnet 65, Temporary Humankind, and Eternal Poetry
Sonnet 65 is similar to Sonnet 60 because two topics coincide: the power of time and the eternal nature of poetry that preserves love. For example, the speaker highlights that “rocks impregnable are not so stout, nor gates of steel so strong” because of the passing of time (Shakespeare 7-8). Its transitional identity causes the decay of everything, despite said things being seemingly strong and permanent. However, as days, years, and decades go by, even the most resilient elements of humanity fail to remain alive or present. The verse is significant as it highlights the cataclysmic effects that everything will experience in its lifetime.
While the devastation is at the thematic core of the sonnet, the narrator includes a less pessimistic verse about the eternal. Specifically, it is stated that time will kill everything “unless this miracle has might, that in black ink my love may still shine bright” (Shakespeare 13-14). As mentioned previously, the message of the eternal nature or art that can encapsulate love is also exemplified in Sonnet 60. The passage’s significance correlates with the importance of literature in preserving certain aspects of life. Thus, one can remain present in the physical world despite the destructiveness of time that generates loss and constant change, in which nothing is permanent.
Critics on Shakespearean Time
Researchers and critics have widely assessed the notion of time in Shakespearean plays and other literary pieces. Specifically, Bushnell and Wagner highlight the role of the dramatic genre in the author’s works and its correlation with time (207). Namely, time is often tied to a dramatic change, event, or loss. For example, love and time are also depicted as two forces that cannot coexist.
The same subject can be highlighted in the sonnets. For example, in Sonnet 60, it is stated that time “delves the parallels in beauty’s brow” (Shakespeare 10). Thus, the author’s work’s genre is influential regarding the depiction of transitions.
Similarly, critics have identified a pattern that is present in many Shakespearean works. The notion of time is portrayed as a force that can have a cataclysmic effect, impacting people and the natural world despite the potential longevity characteristics of certain elements (Al-Abdullah 2). The idea is portrayed in Sonnet 60, in which the narrator states that “nothing stands“ (Shakespeare 12). The world, as it is now, is not infinite and has a limit, and said limit is imposed by the inevitable transitions that will affect everything and everyone.
There have been comments on time, with a powerful and unconquerable nature, unable to impact specific elements. Critiques have formulated that Shakespeare implies that time may kill a person but not change their individuality, will, or character (Yuldashevna and Abdijalilovna 496). In Sonnet 60, the speaker states that “my verse shall stand“ despite the constant transitions that the world experiences (Shakespeare 13). In this case, the eternal is literature and art, concepts that encapsulate a person’s beauty, youth, and nature. Thus, the commentary provided by the critics within the article above aligns with the portrayal of time in the sonnet and the elements that can remain unchanged and preserved forever.
Conclusion
Shakespearean time is a concept that, while having an omnipotent nature that is destructive, can be resisted through literature and art. The three Sonnets, 60, 64, and 65, contain arguments that highlight the temporary nature of everything that exists. However, Sonnets 60 and 65 illustrate the immortalization of beauty and love through words. The argument was addressed through direct citations from the literary works and through the identification of arguments formulated by researchers and literary critics.
Sonnet 60 contains exemplifications of destructiveness yet potential preservation through art. Sonnet 64, on the other hand, highlights the damaging impacts of time in a more depressive manner. Sonnet 65 highlights similar arguments to those in Sonnet 60.
Critiques agree with the correlations between drama and time, its destructive force, and elements that remain unchanged. The importance of the points above is highlighted in the theme: nothing is sedentary due to the constant transitions. It is a critical subject, as time should be viewed as an unstoppable force, yet potentially managed through art.
Works Cited
Al-Abdullah, Mufeed. “Conceptual Metaphors of Time in the Sonnets of Shakespeare: A Cognitive Linguistic Approach.” English Language and Literature Studies, vol. 10, no. 2, 2020, p. 1.
Bushnell, Rebecca, and Matthew Wagner. “Experiencing Time in Shakespearean Theatre.” Shakespeare, vol. 15, no. 3, 2019, pp. 207–212.
Shakespeare, William. Sonnet 60: Like as the Waves Make Towards the Ppebbl’d Shore. Poetry Foundation, 1609. Poetry Foundation. Web.
Shakespeare, William. Sonnet 64: When I Have Seen by Time’s Fell Hand Defac’d. Poetry Foundation, 1609. Poetry Foundation. Web.
Shakespeare, William. Sonnet 65: Since Brass, Nor Stone, Nor Earth, Nor Boundless Sea. Poetry Foundation, 1609. Poetry Foundation. Web.
Yuldashevna, Mirzaakhmedova Makhliyo, and Zoyirova Dilsuz Abdijalilovna. “The Impact of the East in Shakespeare’s Tragedies.” Journal of Critical Reviews, vol. 7, no. 03, 2020.