Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate.
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer's lease hath all too short a date.
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimm'd;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance or nature's changing course untrimm'd;
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.
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From guest samantha (contact)
this poetry is the best and also when it says shall i compare thee to a summers day it is talking abt autumn -
"shall I compare thee to a summers day?" - comparing god or the inner spirit to a summers day???
I read this poem and cant help but feel that he is talking about god and eternal spiritual love that cant be broken, "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:"
Then capping it off with that last lines "so long as men can breathe or eyes can see, so long lives this, and this gives life to thee" , the eternal spirit is the lifes blood and gives life to you. So, taking that comparison and telling the audience that this gives life to you. I dont know, this is just my take on it. -
Who the poem was written about...
From guest Sarah (contact)
Most scholars now agree that the original subject of the poem, the beloved to whom the poet is writing, is a male, though the poem is commonly used to describe a woman. -
need help for credit A.S.A.P.
From guest Renee (contact)
To what does "this" refer to in the final line? -
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Perhaps "this" in the last line is his mental image of the woman he loves. An image that will stay in his mind despite all the ravages of life and death.
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From guest Haylie (contact)
I think its to a woman... the line 'and often is his gold complexion dimm'd' - meaning the sun, and that the girl is always beautiful and radiant. annndd 'nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade, When in eternal lines to time thou grow'st' meaning Death (referred to as a male in this poem) would always be in wonder of the woman when she died, and that she will always remain beautiful even when she dies. =] tis wonderful poem -
From guest Sophie (contact)
I adore this! my favourite part is the last two lines. "So long as men can breathe or eyes can see, So long lives this, and this gives life to thee." It's beautiful -
great
From guest swapcoinforafish (contact)
I really like this poem its got a lot of symblism and people question if it was written to a young man, I think so, i think this was his only way of saying how he felt as the symbolism makes it vague enough for people not to understand it. He says "sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines" --self explainatry then "and often his gold complexion dimmed" well i think hes saying that sometimes god is looked upon so well that in shakespeares eyes this man" his gold complexion" is forgotten about. good sonnnet -
how can i memorize this!
From guest brittney (contact)
I've been trying to memorize it for 2 days now and it won't come to me! any tips? -
for help
From guest charlotte (contact)
Hello . Could you tell me the meaning of "the eye of heaven "? -
The is just..
marvolous! I love this poem and it is one of my faveorites. One of the most popular and honest and incredible. -
Beautiful
As all of his work. -
Sonnet 18
From guest Melissa Carol Junkin (contact)
I am a 8th grade English teacher at Hayden High School in Hayden, ALabama, and I am currently teaching my students poetry. Sonnet 18 is one of my favorite poems of Shakespeare, and I am hoping that it will become one of my students' favorites. I am having my students to memorize and recite it. I know they will all do well. Wish me good luck in teaching my students to enjoy poetry and wish them good luck in learning, writing, and reciting poetry. -
Sonnet 18
From guest The Republican (contact)
This is a great sonnet by Shakespeare. I am currently doing a research paper on him for my English Literature class and I chose this Sonnet to research. You know Sonnet 18 was used on an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation?! It is a great Shakespeare piece!!! -
help
From guest lakshini (contact)
can you please tell me what is the meaning of `but thee eturnal summer shall not fade.`please please can you help me. -
This is absolutely one of my favourite Shakespeare sonnets, because it is the first Shakespeare I ever read, so it was the way to introduce me to more of his works. But in itself, too, it is a really beautiful piece. I've always been particularly fond of these four lines "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:"
I like these lines, introduced by that "But!"... it are, truly, those eternal lines in which "thou grow'st". -
This is probably one of the most famous of his sonnets, I think it is in most English textbooks for high school. No wonder it gets so much recognition - it is simply beautiful. And it doesn't matter who it was written to. It was true love and appreciation for beauty that inspired this and many other of his sonnets.
"But thy eternal summer shall not fade" radiates with warmth. Beautiful line.
~Anastasia
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This was quite interesting to say the least. I like the metaphor of buds representing his love. It was truly beautiful. All of William Shakespeare's work leave me gasping for breath when it is done, because it always feel so personal. This is a sonnet, and a perfect example of it. I like how in the personal notes it gave the form used here, and meaning of certain words for those who don't know. All and All an excellent write.
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Well this poem is nice. I have to say Shakespeare really was a master of his art. However I think one of his best sonnets isn't listed here. I think you should definitely post William Shakespeare Sonnet 130 (My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun). It seems to say so much and unlike most of these poems it gives a more realistic picture of what love is really about. Anyway, loved reading this poem. Always have to love a good sonnet especially by Shakespeare.
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This is one of my favorite sonnets. I think its so incredibly beautiful and moving. So much so, that I have gone as far as to memorize it. Just another brilliant work by Shakespeare.
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"Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate."
this is Shakespeare______ the greatest of all times!!!!!
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This is such a great masterpiece! We had discussed this one once in school. This talks mainly on beauty. Interesting!
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Yeah, a lot of Shakespeare's early sonnets were actually written to an unnamed young man. Was Shakespeare gay? Well, this poem, which is many peoples' favorite example of Shakespeare's sonnets, and which is always regarded with romantic love, is one of those sonnets written to the young man. I think you could debate about his sexuality, but that would be fruitless, it is better to just enjoy the poetry. Nice work on this one, Billy!
Peace,
Lo
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Hmmm this is infact a very selfish poem by Shakespeare, there is not evidence to suggest that he actually loves this young man that it is aimed at. it is selfish in the fact that he turns this so called 'love poem' around so he is the center of attention, "when in eternal lines to time thou grow'st" the "eternal lines" here are the lines of this poem/sonnet Shakespeare has written, "but thy eternal summer shall not fade" as he has he will always be beautiful and alive in this poem! Shakespeare here is referring to himself as a type of superior being who can give eternal life... Not the usual type of love poem where the author thinks he 'isn't worthy'
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Awesome Poeam
do you think untrimm'd (stripped of its ornament) could be reffering to his lovers clothing
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Divine
This is my favorite Shakespearean sonnet, and one of my all-time favorite poems. It moves me. Completely moves me. -
Steve83 on Jan 14, 11:28
jade dragon Poet for 255 critiques. said:
This is my favorite Shakespeare poem. I feel it is very deep in meaning. The person he wrote this for I think he saw as an Angel of such. Poetry like this is what made shakespeare one of the greatest writers that ever lived.
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Thank you Hide and yes it does
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Peacelink, you were right when you said, "and not a woman." Infact all sonnet from 1 to 126 are aimed at a young man.
There has been many candidates considered for post, but the best, and only real clue comes from the first print of 'Shakespeares Sonnets (1609), which is inscribed, "to Mr.W.H."
General concensus believes this W.H. to be William Herbert the Earl of Pembroke and patron to William from the 1590s.
I believe the best way to look at this sonnet is;
Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? Question, should he?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate, A negative response, no, you are lovelier.
The following line strenghen his point...
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, even summer has it's faults you do not.
And summer's lease hath all too short a date./ your beauty shall last longer than the period of a summer.
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines, even on it's best days, a dicomfort can be found, unlike your presence which is always pleasure.
And so on, I hope this helps and gives an insight to the poem and the spirit it was written.
Andrew -
Yes who is Shakespeare addressing in this I thought it was alove poem in the beginning, but seems to be something that lives forever and not awoman whose beauty would ultimately fade and die but even if it is not about beauty but about her nature, where she is calm and collected, yet someday she will ide so these lines
"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.
do not apply to a mortal. Well enlighten me someone.
A beautiful poem though. but I would like to know the flawless immortal subject. -
a master peice of work
A very sensuous sonnet. -
this is beautiful...he aspires to give the loved one immortality..that's not a bad way of saying i adore you
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Who do you think Shakespeare is talking to, in this sonnet?
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I have such a deep respect to william Shakspir because of the work he has done
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What a touching poem! I recomend to people who like the outdoors.
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