illustrated portrait of English playwright and poet William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare

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Student Question

What is the paraphrase for "A Madrigal for Shakespeare"?

Expert Answers

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Are you referring to A Madrigal, written BY Shakespeare? This poem?

Crabbed Age and Youth
Cannot live together:
Youth is full of pleasance,
Age is full of care;
Youth like summer morn,
Age like winter weather,
Youth like summer brave,
Age like winter bare:
Youth is full of sport,
Age’s breath is short,
Youth is nimble, Age is lame:
Youth is hot and bold,
Age is weak and cold,
Youth is wild, and Age is tame:—
Age, I do abhor thee,
Youth, I do adore thee;
O! my Love, my Love is young!
Age, I do defy thee—
O sweet shepherd, hie thee,
For methinks thou stay’st too long.

A madrigal is a type of music popular in the Renaissance, so in Shakespeare's madrigal, he is "singing" about how youth is great, but old age stinks. There are a lot of similes and metaphors comparing old age and youth to various things - summer morn vs winter weather, "youth is full of sport" - "age's breath is short". Paraphrase?

Old age stinks, youth is wonderful, love is like youth, I love youth, I hate age, I'd better get on with my business.

You can read about Shakespeare's sonnets at the link below, here on enotes.

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