The Meaning Behind the Lines: Shakespeares Sonnet 18

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Creating a literary piece requires an understanding of various poetic devices. William Shakespeare is one of the worlds most renowned writers, capable of capturing the readers attention. Even though it is challenging to grasp the essence of ones fairness, a person can indeed be more attractive than a day in summer. In this essay, the distinctions between the writers loved ones attractiveness and a summer days beauty in Sonnet 18 will be discussed, and examples of comparative and metaphoric elements in the womans description will be presented.

Sonnet 18 is highly popular among the scholars of the literary society. In the work discussed, the author presents a monologue for his loved one, where he compares her to a beautiful summer day. The poem starts with a question for the woman, stating that the writer wants to explain how lovely she is through contrasting her attributes and a summer days features (Shakespeare, 1989). Shakespeare argues that his loved one is superior in beauty, saying that Summers lease hath all too short a date (Shakespeare, 1989, p. 1227). Even though a day in summer is exceptionally warm and pleasant, at one point in time, it will still fade, and another, less attractive season will take its place. The womans charm, however, is different, as Thy eternal summer shall not fade (Shakespeare, 1989, p. 1227). The beauty that this person possesses will stay with her forever, even in death (Shakespeare, 1989). Overall, Shakespeare demonstrates that his loved ones beauty is far more extraordinary than that of a summers day.

Capturing the readers attention is essential for a successful poem. To grasp a persons interest, the author should be knowledgeable of specific techniques which could aid them in achieving this goal. Shakespeare appears to have impressive skills in this sphere, showing masterful use of metaphors. Altogether, the poem can be considered a metaphor, as the woman is compared to a summers day. The latter is regarded as a symbol of true beauty, an example of considerable fairness (Shakespeare, 1989). However, the womans attractiveness is described as even more prominent than that symbol, more grasping than the charm of nature itself (Shakespeare, 1989). By contraposing the day and his loved one and stating that the female is more significant, Shakespeare manages to transfer the magnificence of her visual appearance to the reader.

The overall meaning behind the poem can be explained due to the authors masterful use of literary elements. The writer provides several examples of how the womans attractiveness is inspiring to him, even using hyperbole to say that Nor shall Death brag thou wanderest in his shade (Shakespeare, 1989, p. 1227). The event of death is undoubtedly bound to happen to all living things, even to the summers day, but Shakespeare denies the possibility of that happening to his loved ones beauty (Shakespeare, 1989, p. 1227). Such devotion to the females charm and belief in her eternal life helps the reader understand how strong is the writers love for this woman and how exceptional this person is in his eyes.

To conclude, Shakespeare employs several literary elements to create a monologue devoted to the attractiveness of the woman he loves. By utilizing comparisons and metaphors, the author manages to describe the magnificence of this persons visual appearance. Finally, the poet uses hyperbola to underline the immortality of such beauty. Such detailed descriptions transfer the mans love towards his beloved, showing the depth of his feelings for this woman. Overall, it is demonstrated that an individuals fairness can be superior to a summer days features.

Reference

Shakespeare, W. (1989). William Shakespeare: The complete works. Barnes & Noble Publishing.

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