Shakespeares Sonnet 18 - Research Paper Example

of the English of the Concerned July 18, Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18 Introduction There is no denying the fact that Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18 tends to be one of the most exquisite and evocative of the 154 sonnets written by William Shakespeare. As is known that the sonnets written by Shakespeare are divided into four thematic sections, the Sonnet 18 that is Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day stands to be the first of the 108 sonnets written praising the charm and beauty of a young man, expressing Shakespeare’s ardor for him. It goes without saying that this Shakespearian sonnet tends to be most rich in the use of variegated imagery, the intensity and depth of passion and the dexterity of the usage of figurative language. Explanation of Sonnet 18 The poet begins the Sonnet 18 by posing a rhetorical question from which the reader can easily deduce as to what one could further expect in this sonnet. At the very start of the poem, the poet discernibly conveys that he is going to compare his beloved, which many of the critics agree that one happened to be a young man, to a summer day. Nevertheless, if one chances to read the poet separately, not being cognizant of the theme and context of the poem, a reader could easily assume that this sonnet is a poem eulogizing a beautiful woman. For the text of this sonnet tends to mention nothing so as to convey otherwise. The charm of the subject is praised not by directly tracing the similarities between the beauties of a warm summer day and one’s beauty, but, rather by posing contrasts between the delicacies of a warm summer day and one’s beauty. There is no denying the fact that though the imagery used by the poet in this sonnet happens to be simple, yet, it is imbued with much meaning, context and verbal dexterity. One could also easily notice that the rhythm evinced by the poet in this sonnet is quite regular and continuous, without any obstructions and restraints, with a flow that is scarcely disturbed or hampered by any enjambments. Each and every line in this sonnet is specifically aimed at making a single statement, imbued with much meaning and context, and thematically building on the meaning conveyed in the next line. No wonder, this act is achieved by the poet without compromising even an iota on the melodic quality of the sonnet. Any mature reader could easily look to it that the poet has masterfully resorted to the usage of assonance and internal rhymes to achieve a melodious sound and rhythm. As one proceeds with the perusal of this sonnet, one slowly comes to the realization that it is not merely a poem praising the beauty of the poet’s beloved, but also happens to be a verse loaded with philosophical connotations, delving on the nature and quality of poetry and the essential qualities it should possess. In a much broader context the poem also makes any unsuspecting reader in an indirect yet unintentional way think on the evanescent existence of man and the eternal existence of art and beauty. Rhyme Scheme and Sonnet Structure Again it gets visible at the first glance that the Sonnet 18 is a typical Shakespearian or English sonnet. Hence, following the rhyme scheme of the other of the large body of Shakespearian sonnets, Sonnet 18 also has three quatrains followed by a couplet. Again the rhyme scheme is typically characteristic of Shakespeare’s other sonnets being abab cdcd efef gg. It is quiet visible that it is a classic Shakespearian sonnet having 14 lines arranged in quite a regular iambic pentameter. Leaving aside a few first syllables that tend to be strong, the poem scarcely tends to deviate from its meter. There is no line that flows into the next line and each and every line culminates in a full stop. There lie two quatrains at the start of the sonnet that are easily followed by a third quatrain that tends to shift the tone of the poem a little. This quatrain is than masterfully led to a rhyming couplet that aptly culminates the Sonnet 18. Just as it was so typical of the Italian sonnets from which the English sonnets borrowed much in substance and rhythm, in Sonnet 18 again that it is the 9th line that marks a salient change in the tone, context and meaning of the poem, where the poet shifts from criticizing the summer to elaborate on the beauty and charm of his beloved. The culminating rhyming couplet again presents a so typical twist as noticed in the English sonnets, which to a great extent recollects and sums up what followed till now and at the same time redefines and reconfigures what came before it. It certainly needs to be mentioned that the concluding lines to a large extent constitute a beautiful little poem in their own right, making it more than visible that it were the poetic abilities and dexterity of the poet that constituted a larger theme of the poem. However, a discerning reader ought not to get fooled by the typical rhyme and meter of this sonnet to take it to be a stereotypical Shakespearian sonnet. One reason that differentiates this sonnet from other English sonnets is that till now the sonnets tended to exclusively deal with love and amore. Though Sonnet 18 is visibly an expression of the poets love for his beloved, there is no denying the fact that in a deeper context it also tends to delve on the ephemeral nature of the human charm and beauty and the eternal beauty of artistic charm and expression. In that sense that sonnet also qualifies to be a philosophical pondering in verse. Literary Devices Resorted to be Shakespeare in Sonnet 18 It goes without saying that Shakespeare resorts to the exploitation of a range of literary devices in Sonnet 18 to endow it with a wide range of poetic meanings and philosophical interpretations. Throughout the Sonnet 18 Shakespeare resorts to the usage of rich and vivid imagery to describe the beauty of the summer day and the physical charm of the object of his love and attention. For instance the line “Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May” makes it amply clear right at the start that the reader could readily expect the poet to resort to the usage of elaborate imagery to convey sense and meaning. Shakespeare not only uses the hidden meanings in the words selected by him to depict the beauty of his beloved, but also in a way doing so brings in much personification into his poem. The lines 1 and 2 that are “Shall I compare thee to a Summer’s Day? Thou are more lovely and more temperate” are indeed an apt example of the use of allegory, for it is the importance and relevance that underlies the first line that in a way supports and nurtures the meaning inherent in the first line. Also take the line “Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May” is a typical example of the symbolism in the sense that “buds of May’ bring in a much bigger meaning into the poem, representing an elaborate image of spring time during the month of May, thereby conveying to the reader a much more vivid image and setting in which one could interpret the multiple small patterns in the poem that give way to a much larger and deeper meaning. Also considering the 2nd and 3rd line of this sonnet, one could clearly see that Shakespeare is resorting to the usage of metaphor, by taking and assortment of varied and different things and by trying to weave a connection between them. It also does need to be mentioned that Sonnet 18 is also endowed with the usage of much symbolism and figurative language. Scholarly Views Cooper upholds the ability of Shakespeare to resort to a masterful usage of accents to establish much meaning and context in Sonnet 18 (Cooper 393). He specifically alludes to the restraint and lilting quality brought into Sonnet 18 by the poet by the dexterous usage of the traditional English sonnet structure (Cooper 394). In contrast, Bate praises the Shakespeare’s elaborate usage of figurative language and imagery in Sonnet 18 to bring to it a charm and beauty that is so characteristics of the works of ancient masters like Ovid (Bate 95). No wonder, Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18 had accrued the attention and appreciation of a number of literary scholars and critics from around the world. Conclusion Though Sonnet 18 happens to be one amongst the 154 sonnets drafted by Shakespeare, this sonnet in a way transcends the usual claim and expectations ascribed to sonnets in the sense that it uses the traditional figurative and metaphorical devices associated with the English sonnets and the commensurate rhyme scheme and meter to go beyond elaborating on the carnal beauty and charm to convey a meaning and context that stretches beyond the limits of constraints of time and age. Works Cited Bate, Jonathan. Shakespeare and Ovid. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1993. Print. Cooper, John R. “Intonation and Iambic Pentameter”. Papers on Language & Literature 33.1 (1997): 392-395. Print. Read More