Triangle of Time: Sonnet 18 by William Shakespeare

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Main text
Summary
Works Cited

Introduction

It is difficult to say whether William Shakespeare is known more for his dramatic works or for his poetry, but, perhaps because his dramatic works are seen more often on the stage, it is safe to assume his poetry is not as popular today as it once was. However, some poems seem to remain well-known even as the individual, when pressed, cannot quite remember when or how they learned them. One of these is Sonnet 18, also commonly known by its first line Shall I compare thee to a summers day? It is often quoted in childrens cartoons and comedy skits as well as repeated in more serious settings, though not often attributed.

In its basic message, the poem attempts to capture the essence of the woman for eternity, preventing the effects of time from happening to her. In its delivery, the poem details Shakespeares feelings toward an unknown person, setting up a triangular relationship between the poet, the unnamed lover, and the ravaging forces of time.

Main text

Within the poem, there isnt a great deal of detail regarding how the lover relates to the poet as it is primarily the poet speaking to, or perhaps merely of, his lover. Judging by the sentiments involved in the poem, the lover could be someone as remote from him as a woman he rode in a carriage once, or even a spectator who came to see one of his plays as the focus of the poem seems to concentrate on her beauty without detailing much regarding the inner nature of the individual. There are a few hints that Shakespeare was familiar with the woman. For example, in lines 2 and 3, he seems to be well aware of her inner nature, Thou art more lovely and more temperate. / Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May (2-3).

These lines seem to indicate that in their relationship together, this woman has never lost her temper or become overly excited or hysterical. In addition, she is shown to have not been too passionate at inopportune moments as he finds it necessary to mention Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines (5), nor is she someone who has often turned him a cold shoulder, as in others in whom often the gold complexion dimmed (6). It is presumably because of her predictably perfectly balanced nature that Shakespeare wishes to immortalize her.

According to the lover, though, there is much to be desired in the woman simply because of her beauty and these few inner graces that are mentioned. In his comparison of her with a summers day, presumably the best sort of day a person can have, Shakespeare says that there is no basis for comparison. Not only is she more lovely and more temperate (2), but she is unshakeable and more constant as is expressed in lines 3 and 4. In describing how the rough winds to shake the darling buds of May (3), he illustrates how his love is never shaken by troubling concerns nor is she prone to fits of temper that would make others uncomfortable.

Other comparisons include the thought that sometimes the sun is too hot while his love is never unpleasant to be around, never too intense, illustrating how he feels when in her presence. In these types of comparisons, in which she is not like early summer nor like late summer, Shakespeare indicates that his subject exists in a space of time that doesnt exist, neither shaken by rough winds nor too hot for comfort nor too short for summer. Despite this, he still seems concerned about losing her, whether to another lover or simply to the unchanging, unstoppable force of time does not seem to make any difference. To immortalize her, he decides to mention her in a poem.

The element of time, then, is able to take center stage within this poem. Throughout the poem, he recognizes the short term period in which most beauty exists. The summer is too short to contain his love, but as time passes, every fair from fair sometime declines, / By chance, or natures changing course, untrimmed (7-8). As much as her beauty seems timeless to him, Shakespeare is acknowledging that time cannot be held back for anyone and will eventually leave its trace upon her beauty.

The second half of the poem begins to describe her in terms that seem to place her beyond the realm of the living, But thy eternal summer shall not fade / Nor lose possession of that fair thou owst (9-10), because time seems incapable of touching her. This idea is negated in the next line though, Nor shall Death brag thou wandrest in his shade (11), making the reader begin to wonder just how this individual is to escape the inevitable progression of time to which the rest of the human race is subject. The only way to preserve such a thing, Shakespeare reasons, is through poetry. So long as men can breathe or eyes can see, / So long lives this, and this gives life to thee (13-14). As long as someone is capable of reading his lines, the beauty of his love will remain unforgotten and unspoiled.

Summary

Thus, while the exact nature of the relationship between the poet and his lover remains shrouded in time and dormant in death, the beauty that existed between them is immortalized in a poem that remains quoted by young and old alike. Time is both the winner and the loser as it succeeds in removing this specific couple from walking the earth, but it is defeated in its ability to completely erase all traces of memory regarding them.

Works Cited

Shakespeare, William. Sonnet 18: Shall I Compare Thee to a Summers Day. (1609). Composition and Modern English II. Troy, MI: Troy University, 2007: 1187.

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Triangle of Time: Sonnet 18 by William Shakespeare

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