Ans: Written in a sequence and addressed to the object of the poet's passion, Shakespeare's sonnets follow the English sonnet form with its three four-line quatrains plus a concluding two-line couplet are used to trace the development of this relationship of the poet and his lover. More commonly known as the Shakespearean sonnet, the rhyme scheme [regular pattern of rhyming words] is as follows:abab cdcd efef gg. Each of the three quatrains explores a different variation of the theme and the rhyming couplet presents a summarizing or concluding statement on this theme. For instance, the first quatrain of Sonnet 18 presents the rhetorical question of comparing the lover to a summer's day. The poet declares that the lover is "more lovely and more temperate," and he demonstrates the truth of his statement. In what is known as a volta, or turn in thought, the second quatrain explains how Nature is sometimes too severe and beauty is destroyed. Then, in the third quatrain, the poet continues his argument that the object of his passion will possess eternal beauty because the sonnet itself will attest to her beautyl: "But thy eternal summer shall not fade," the poet declares as the lover will live on in his verse. Finally, the rhyming couplet concludes by reiterating the theme that the sonnet itself will render the love eternal. Thus, the rhyme scheme controls the thematic development of the sonnet.
The meter of the Shakespearean sonnet, or its rhythmical pattern is iambic pentameter. That is, there is a foot with one unstressed syllable follwed by one stressed syllable as in the word afraid [a is unstressed,fraid is stressed]. Five of these feet makes the pentameter. For instance, "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?" which is the first line, exhibits this iambic pentameter. (Using the elevated short u and the slash mark (/), the reader can mark off the unstressed and stressed syllables that occur in pairs five times.) This iambic pentameter follows naturally the English emphasis upon words and syllables as well as the natural rise and fall of English-speaking voices, thus lending reality and sincerity to the message of the poem.
(Q-2) give a complete summary of Shakespeare's Sonnet 18.
Ans: In Shakespeare's Sonnet 18, the speaker asks permission or suggests that he will compare his beloved to a summer's day.
Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Actually, the beloved is more lovely and more constant than a summer day. Still, the writer captures the beauty of his beloved in a comparison of her beauty and a warm day in summer. Of course, he mentions that a summer day is often too short, but he claims that his beloved's youth shall not fade.
Although summer can be too hot or too short, in this poem, the beloved is perfect. To compare her to a summer's day gives an idea of her beauty, but in reality, she is far more beautiful than a summer day. For his beloved will not fade or lose her beauty, but a summer day will end. Not even death can claim his beloved. She becomes immortal in the words of this poem.
Truly, his beloved has become immortal. That is the difference in a summer day and his beloved. A summer day will end, but his beloved will forever live on in the sweet verse of this poem:
But thy eternal summer shall not fade, Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow'st, Nor shall death brag thou wander'st in his shade, When in eternal lines to time thou grow'st.
So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.
(Q-3) Identify five words in Shakespeare's Sonnet 18 that you found unfamiliar.
Ans: Dude...seriously? How am I going to know five words that you are unfamiliar with in that Sonnet? That's like asking me what toppings you like on your pizza (well, sort of like it.) I'm not trying to make fun of you, I'm just saying...
Anyhow, I can make a guess at some of the more difficult vocabulary words found in the Sonnet. Maybe some of these would be ones that you'd choke on...keep in mind, they are not difficult words per say, they are difficult in the context of the sentence (because they have more than one meaning:)
- temperate
- darling buds
- summer's lease
- fair from fair
- complexion
There are others that aren't really hard vocabulary words but rather old English-isms.
- thee
- hath
- art
- thou
- owest
Again, it's not really that the words in themselves are difficult...it is how they are being used in the poem. A better question would be to identify 5 different phrases or word combinations that you didn't understand. Then you'd practically have the whole poem!
(Q-4) How many figures of speech are there in "Sonnet 18" by Shakespeare?
Ans: Crucial to understanding this excellent sonnet revolves around your appreciation of how the ideas expressed in this sonnet are structured. The sonnet begins with a question in the first line that is responded to by negative answers. Whilst the speaker's beloved does bear some resemblance to a "summer's day," they are but superficial, and the first two quatrains focus on the ways that the summer day is not perfect rather than the loved one. Then in line 9 we have the turn, or "volta," when the speaker focuses on his beloved and forgets the summer's day.
(Q-4) How many figures of speech are there in "Sonnet 18" by Shakespeare?
Ans: Crucial to understanding this excellent sonnet revolves around your appreciation of how the ideas expressed in this sonnet are structured. The sonnet begins with a question in the first line that is responded to by negative answers. Whilst the speaker's beloved does bear some resemblance to a "summer's day," they are but superficial, and the first two quatrains focus on the ways that the summer day is not perfect rather than the loved one. Then in line 9 we have the turn, or "volta," when the speaker focuses on his beloved and forgets the summer's day.
So, when we think about the figures of speech, they are either employed to describe the imperfections of the summer's day or the speaker's beloved, build around the extended metaphor of comparing the beloved to a summer's day and finding the summer's day wanting:
But thy eternal summer shall not fade,Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest...
We can see here that continuing the extended metaphor, the speaker explains the way that his beloved is actually better than the summer's day he wants to compare her to at the beginning, saying that her "eternal summer" will not diminish and her beauty will not decline. Hopefully this description of the sonnet will help you pick out other figures of speech. Good luck!
