What metaphors and symbols are used in sonnet 18 by Shakespeare? I thought about the summer as a symbol for youth.
- print Print
- list Cite
Expert Answers

calendarEducator since 2006
write276 answers
starTop subject is Literature
My colleagues have answered this very well. I'd like to add a few comments.
Summer traditionally represents the time in life when we are fully blooming. Spring is the virtuous youth. The metaphor he is playing with is the traditional notion that we all live the seasons of man, and that we have the most promise in the spring and are at our hottest (ripest) in the summer. As my colleagues have pointed out, the metaphor breaks down: it is too hot in the summer, while she is temperate. He can't compare her to a rosebud either, because they are vulnerable and apt to be destroyed. These two metaphors...
(The entire section contains 3 answers and 632 words.)
Unlock This Answer Now
Start your 48-hour free trial to unlock this answer and thousands more. Enjoy eNotes ad-free and cancel anytime.
Related Questions
- What is the figure of speech in Shakespeare's Sonnet 18, "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?"
- 2 Educator Answers
- What is the theme of Shakespeare's Sonnet 18?
- 3 Educator Answers
- Explain the grafting metaphor in Shakespeare's Sonnet 18.
- 1 Educator Answer
- What does the speaker of "Sonnet 18" say about summer?
- 2 Educator Answers
- I need help writing a critical appreciation of Shakespeare's Sonnet 18.
- 2 Educator Answers

calendarEducator since 2006
write2,050 answers
starTop subjects are Literature, Social Sciences, and History
Why do you use "She" when talking about this sonnet? Everyone knows it was addressed to a boy! Why this prudery?
Actually most you are right. Shakespeare wanootropic righting to man or a woman but his bisexual wife
nice answers ..
thanks all of you!!!
I would like to make a correction to the answers you gave. As you all know Shakespeare published 154 sonnets. The first 126 are adressed to "The fair Lord", thus to a MAN and not to a WOMAN!!! The dedication on the volume says: "To W.H." who critics speculate was either William Herbert Earl of Pembroke or Henry Wriothesley.
Student Answers