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Sonnet 18 - William Shakespeare 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 oft' is his gold complexion dimmed; And every fair from fair sometime declines, By chance or nature's changing course untrimmed; But thy eternal summer shall not fade, Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest; Nor shall Death brag thou wanderest 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. - NSC English FAL - Question 6 - 2018 - Paper 2
Question 6
Sonnet 18 - William Shakespeare 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 su... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:Sonnet 18 - William Shakespeare 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 oft' is his gold complexion dimmed; And every fair from fair sometime declines, By chance or nature's changing course untrimmed; But thy eternal summer shall not fade, Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest; Nor shall Death brag thou wanderest 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. - NSC English FAL - Question 6 - 2018 - Paper 2
Step 1
Refer to lines 7-8 ('And every fair ... changing course untrimmed').
Answer
In this context, the lines refer to the idea that beauty can fade or diminish over time due to external circumstances or natural processes. The phrase "changing course untrimmed" suggests that beauty does not last forever and requires care and maintenance to remain. The speaker is indicating that unlike the beauty found in nature, which can be affected by seasons and time, his beloved's beauty will be eternal.
Step 2
Refer to line 11 ('Nor shall Death ... in his shade').
Answer
The figure of speech used here is personification. Death is attributed human characteristics, suggesting it takes on an active role in deciding the fate of beauty. The idea that Death can 'brag' implies a personified competition between the impermanence of life and the lasting quality of the speaker's love and memory.
Step 3
Explain the meaning of this figure of speech in the context of the poem.
Answer
The personification of Death serves to elevate the theme of immortality found in the poem. Whereas humans and their beauty may fade and die, the speaker insists that their beloved's beauty will be preserved forever through the lines of this poem. Thus, the poem functions as a vessel for eternal beauty, transcending the limitations imposed by time.
Step 4
Step 5
How will the speaker ensure that his beloved's beauty will be preserved forever?
Answer
The speaker asserts that as long as this poem exists and can be read, his beloved's beauty will live on. By immortalizing her beauty through these verses, the speaker believes he can defeat the passage of time.
Step 6
Step 7
Do you agree with the speaker's claim that his beloved is more beautiful than summer?
Answer
This is a subjective matter. Some may argue that summer has its own beauty, yet the speaker's unwavering affection showcases a more profound love that transcends seasonal beauty. His beloved embodies qualities that the season lacks, reflecting an eternal beauty that he believes surpasses anything nature can provide.