A Close reading of the poem "Sonnet 18", by William Shakespe
"Sonnet 18", written by William Shakespeare during the Renaissance Period is very much a reflection of the poet's own feelings of immortalising beauty which is captured magically amongst the quatrains. This is depicted utilising a number of poetic devices throughout the sonnet and reflects the period within which it was written. Tensions within the poem are effectively displayed in a simplistic, yet tight form, which is representative of the features of a sonnet.By naming the poem, "Sonnet 18" in a series of some 154 Sonnets, this indicates the sonnets are part of a series, all based on similar themes (Internet quote:name). The theme of the preceding 17 Sonnets, to preserve beauty against time and decay, is again captured within the lines of "Sonnet 18". The love Shakespeare has for the fair youth in "Sonnet 18" is of the same similar theme (Blakemore 1974)The word, sonnet, is from the Italian word, "Sonnetto", and means, "Little song". A sonnet follows a tight and metrical rhyme scheme and is a formally specific 14-line poem. "Sonnet 18" is a Shakespearian sonnet featuring three quatrains and a couplet, rhyming: abab, cdcd, efef, gg. A sonnet contains a favoured subject, which in this Sonnet, is love (Murfin & Ray
This gives more credit to the comparison of beauty, summer and life and convincingly assists with the argument that the beauty of the poem's subject will last forever. The sonnet flows with an Iambic Pentameter, giving it a song-like rhythm with ten syllables in each line. These three lines demonstrate three differing themes, respectively. Beauty is represented by summer ("thy eternal Sommer") which assists in convincing the audience of the similarities between the season of Summer and such beauty. The second quatrain reveals negative connotations of both summer and beauty fading, with the words, "too hot" and "faire from faire. Finally, the couplet completes the promise, by stating everlasting beauty is captured and eternalised between the lines as the poem. The use of personification is represented in line five ("the eye of Heaven") and line 11 ("Nor death shall brag"), giving human characteristics to abstract ideals. This gives continued rhythm to the flow of the words. This was a time of rebirth, or awakening in the interest of art and learning. The couplet ending the sonnet follows a monosyllabic staccato form of one-syllable words. As with these lines, each quatrain supports a different subject. These are emphasised using the poetic device of metonymy. Not only does William Shakespeare manage to capture and immortalise the beauty of his subject, but also the words of his poetry. This is successful by the poetic devices incorporated subtly within the poem, utilising appropriate and uncomplicated punctuation and a positive tone.
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