SHALL I COMPARE THEE? William Shakespeare

WHAT DO YOU THINK? What does the title imply? What is a Shakespearean sonnet? What do you think the poem is about???

SHAKESPEAREAN SONNET This is a special type of sonnet that differs from the 'traditional' sonnet. It is composed of 14 lines 4 lines make up a quatrain The last two lines make the couplet Shakespeare would lay out the theme/problem in the three quatrains and resolve them in the couplet There are 154 sonnets penned by Shakespeare This is often referred to as 'Sonnet 18' when compared to Shakespeare's 153 other sonnets. This is the most well know for the reasons we will discuss.

FIRST QUATRAIN Shakespeare is addressing his lover in the first two lines. He asks his lover if he should compare her to a summer's day. We expect him to say yes. Yet he doesn't. According to Shakespeare, she is 'more lovely and more temperate (less extreme)'. Summers are harsh according to Shakespeare because their rough winds shake the 'darling buds of May'. He is saying that it is wrong because they damage beautiful things. He then tells her that Summers are short and do not last, they turn into Autumn and leave the sun and all the good things of summer behind.

SECOND QUATRAIN Shakespeare then says that the sun sometimes is harsh as it shines too bright and is too hot (Q2, L1) He continues to say that even sometimes the fair complexion (appearance) of the sun is 'dimm'd'. He means that clouds can often tarnish a lovely day by covering the Summer Sun. 'And every fair from fair sometimes declines,' Shakespeare says that everything fair can fade 'By chance or nature's changing course untrimm'd;' by accident or by the season's changing. Shakespeare has listed these as all the reasons he does NOT want to compare her to a summer's day.

THIRD QUTRAIN He is addressing his lover again in this quatrain. 'But thy eternal summer shall not fade,'. Her grace, beauty and all things fair and good about her will not end like the summer, they are eternal (ever-lasting) 'Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow'st;' and her fairness will never be lost. Shakespeare says that 'Nor shall death brag thou wander'st in his shade,' Shakespeare tells her that death will never be able to boast that he has control of her. In the last line he states 'When in eternal lines to time thou grow'st:', meaning that because of him poem 'lines' his treasure will be eternally preserved.

COUPLET This is how Shakespeare concluded all of his sonnets. 'So long as men can breathe and eyes can see, So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.' Shakespeare's claiming that as long as people are on the Earth and as long as his poem will exist, his loved one will always live on through his poem about her beauty, fairness and how gentle she was. The use of 'So long' especially helps emphasise the theme of the poem and give it a satisfying ending.

THEMES The following themes are utilized in the poem: Love Relationships Passing of time Beauty/Nature of beauty Love: The love expressed in this poem is simply, yet movingly expressed. The language is quite straightforward and each line is quite self-contained. This can be seen in the number of punctuation marks: most lines end with one. Shakespeare wrote this poem solely to express his love to this woman (presumably Anne Hathaway) and let the world know how much he loved her and how beautiful she was.

THEMES Passing of time/nature of beauty This poem is about the transience (shortness) of life and of beauty. As long as both are linked to physical beings, they will die with that person. However, if they are captured in poetry, they can live forever. Relationships The poem revolves around Shakespeare's relationship with this woman and how he is smitten with her and adores her to all extents. It must also be noted that throughout the poem, Shakespeare is talking to his lover. This creates a sense of intimacy or an intimate atmosphere throughout the poem.

QUESTIONS 'Shall I Compare Thee?' can be used to answer the following types of questions: Theme of Love Theme of Relationships (2013) Poem that I liked/ enjoyed Interesting imagery Observations about ordinary life (2014) Poem that uses interesting language to convey important feelings (2012) Poet whose work impressed you (2012) Poem vividly bringing a person to life (2011) Poem creating vivid images of a person in your head (2008) Poem with interesting sound effects or musical qualities (2008) Poem with an interesting title (2007) Poem dealing with wishes or thoughts (2006) Being in love has always inspired men and women to express their feelings in verse... (2004)