Sonnet 18

In Shakespeare's "Sonnet 18," summer is employed as a metaphor for youth and beauty, with the speaker comparing his beloved to a summer's day. However, summer is depicted as fleeting and imperfect,...

The line "and summer's lease hath all too short a date" means that summer is short-lived. Shakespeare uses this to emphasize that summer days do not last long, unlike the enduring nature of his love,...

In Shakespeare's Sonnet 18, "the eye of heaven" refers to the sun, which can sometimes shine too hot. This phrase employs metonymy, using the sun as a symbol of perception and character. The sonnet...

Line 8 in Sonnet 18 means that everything beautiful eventually fades either by chance events or by the natural progression of time. Shakespeare is emphasizing that every fair aspect of summer...

In "When in eternal lines to Time thou grow'st," Shakespeare uses a metaphor comparing the subject's enduring legacy to a tree that continues to grow. This suggests that the poem itself will nurture...

Literary devices used in Shakespeare's Sonnet 18, "Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer's Day?," include extended metaphor, personification, and rhetorical questions. There is some debate over whether or...

The message and moral lesson of Shakespeare's "Sonnet 18" revolve around the enduring nature of beauty and love. Shakespeare compares the beloved's beauty to a summer's day, suggesting that unlike...

In line 14 of Shakespeare's "Sonnet 18," "this" refers to the poem itself. The poet asserts that as long as people read this sonnet, the beauty of the subject will live on, immortalized through the...

Summer is considered a "lease" in Sonnet 18 because it represents a short, borrowed period of time, much like a rental agreement. The warm weather and activities make time feel fleeting, and the term...

In "Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer's Day?", the speaker asks if he should compare his beloved to a summer's day. He answers that he should not because his beloved is superior; summer days can be...

Shakespeare's Sonnet 18 uses a metaphoric comparison, likening the speaker's love interest to a summer's day, to explore themes of beauty and immortality. The poem begins with a rhetorical question,...

In Sonnet 18, Line 12, the term "lines" likely refers to the lines of the poem itself. Here, the speaker is immortalizing the beauty of his lover. He ensures her "eternal summer" will not fade...

Shakespeare uses language for effect in Sonnet 18 in a number of ways. He employs metaphors, personification, as well as connotation to impact the mood of the poem and, thereby, the reader. Words...

In the third quatrain of "Sonnet 18," the poet emphasizes the eternal youth and beauty of his beloved, asserting that these qualities will never fade or be claimed by death. The poet suggests that...

The grafting metaphor in Shakespeare's "Sonnet 18" appears in line 12, where the speaker suggests that the beloved will grow in "eternal lines to time." Grafting, a horticultural technique, involves...

In "Sonnet 18," Shakespeare highlights summer's unpredictability by describing it as fleeting and inconsistent. He mentions that summer’s beauty can be dimmed by rough winds, excessive heat, or the...

In "Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer's Day," the summer sun is described as temporary and inconsistent: it can be too short, too hot, and sometimes dimmed by clouds. These changes highlight the...

The metaphor in Sonnet 18, comparing the beloved to a "summer's day," enhances the poem's meaning by highlighting the beloved's superior beauty and temperance. While summer is fleeting and imperfect,...

The rhetorical question in the first line of Shakespeare's Sonnet 18 sets up a comparison between the beloved and a summer day, suggesting the beloved's superiority. The implied answer in the...