(Poem #71) Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer's Day? (Sonnets XVIII) 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 owest;
Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou growest:
So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
So long lives this and this gives life to thee.
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One of Shakespeare's best known sonnets, and IMHO one of his finest. The theme - the interplay between time, beauty and love - was a favourite of his, and one that he returned to repeatedly, exploring it via a number of metaphors and images (see, especially, Sonnet LV, "Nor marble, nor the gilded monuments" for another beautiful one). This particular sonnet has, incidentally, supplied the title for Bates' "The Darling Buds of May" - Shakespeare is probably the most fertile source of titles in general I've encountered. m.
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103 comments: ( or Leave a comment )
cool
This sonnet should be compared to Shakespeares "My mistresses eyes are
nothing like the sun" ~ What a hypocrite!!!
nice poem
It's barrie!
I love this poem. It's my favourite.
//Patrik
The most beautiful of all Shakespeares sonnets.what more can one say.
A taste of what women would really like to hear.This would be a perfect valentine's gift, shakespeare is my favorite author and this poem is beautiful
Can you tell me how this poem will keep her young forever?
Her being the women he wrote it to.
hey since you know this poem ...can you tell me what the theme,tone.and
langue..thanxs...it really would mean alot to me ......my email is
To Buckshot -- this poem keeps his lover young forever in that it refers to how she appears to his eye.. by writing this sonnet, he immortalizes her in the state she is in now. She is more beautiful than even the summertime, for summer will fade and turn to fall and then winter. She, however, will remain beautiful.. This is his way of telling her, and everyone else, how radiant she is in his eye. He's saying that no matter what happens, this sonnet will always remain in her image. Does that clear things up a bit? This is a beautiful piece of work.. : )
Owwww it's just SO BEAUTIFUL!!!!!! He is right though, this woman, although we do not what she was like (except beautiful of body and spirit) but as long as we read it, she will live on, no matter how long ago she died. *sigh*
Just to let ya'll know, this poem was written by Shakespeare was written to his nephew, not a woman. We had a discussion about this today in language arts, and my language arts teacher told us this.
18 is my favorite sonnet of Shakespeare (116 is also amazing). It was brilliantly written and is timeless like the "thee" who is the object of the sonnet. I have met many people whom reminds me of this sonnet and each time, I forward them a copy.
This poem unlike a summer's day shall never fade.
Billy JP
i am doing this poem for a school assignment and i need some help comparing this poem to a song? the song has to be a good anthem for the poem?
she will be kept young forever because this poem will never die. So long as
men can breathe or eyes can see, So long lives this, and this gives life to
thee. Basically he says as long as this poem is still being read she will be
alive because it.
What is the matphors in this poem?...and their descriptions thanxx
metaphors*
When we read this poem in school some years ago, we were told, or I would rather say that we analyzed it and THEN we were told that some believe Shakespeare wrote this poem to a man!! Some believe that Shakespeare was gay and that several of his poems/sonnets were in fact written to a man ....
Anders
I don't hink it really matters all that much on -who- he wrote the poem to, we all piture a different person when we read it anyway, i would imagine shakespeare would have anticipated this, when i read the poem, i see a vibrant, young, energetic, and beautiful woman, shakespeare may not have, who cares, this poem is a beautifully writen peice of work. ^^
shakespeare wrote sonnet 18 to a man not a woman
shakespeare didnt write sonnet 18 to a woman he wrote it to a man and all he
is saying is as long as people continue to read the poem then the man will not
be forgotten
hi,my name is charmaine and i have problems understanding this poem. I can't identify the similes,metaphors and personification. What emotional or social conditions could have influenced him in his writings? What does the poem mean? What is he referring to and who is he writing this story for? There is a twist at the last 2 lines that makes me very confused, can you help me out? my email is . Thanks.
I'm way behind, but at the ripish, oldish age of 59 I have just been cut in three by Dave Gilmour's beautiful vocal version of this sonnet. Seek it out and weep.
I have an assignment in Lit. class to write a poem similar to Shakespeare's,
it has to start off like this... Shall I compare the to a ___________....
and make up something, it also has to be 10 syallables. Does anyone have an
ideas? email me back at
hey hows it going, i am looking this poem up for my english lit, and my
teacher told us that when he says "This" he is refferng to the actual
poem. so there u go!
Hi,
In response to your comment, may I suggest you take a listen to track 13
of the Sting album 'Sacred Heart'. He has very cleverly written a song
based on the lyrics of this Sonnet.
I hope this helps.
Regards
Matt Dodd
While literary eons behind you, to me your theory rings true. Perhaps he composed this verse in front of a very large vanity mirror, and rather than entitle it "Me 18", decided instead to be a bit more coy.
Robert Burns, on the other hand, seems to have been more up front - metaphorically speaking of course - and genuinely did immortalise the subjects of his verse. If he had followed Shakespeare's example, we might well still be cringing today at "Bonny Bonk 18".
Frivolity aside, Sonnet 18 still bites deep, especially when in song by Pink Floyd's old master, Dave Gilmour.
hi i was reading the poem and i loving to read it. and then i saw this
word say shall i compare thee to a summer's day, and i realize that what
he mean by that and i don't understand that part. can u please tell me
what he mean by that or give a answer for that. thank you
Hi Sunshine Gee. If your request has not already been answered, let me try.
If I wanted to compliment or flatter you, I would choose a beautiful subject with which to compare you, then proceed to pick faults in that subject, thus enhancing the compliment. Hope that helps.
hey, I was wondering if you could possibly tell me the relationship between
the poem and Shakespeare; meaning, why did he write this poem? Do you know what
the poetic devices of sound and sense are? I am trying to do a Poetry
Analysis and these are just a few of the requirements. I would really appreciate it.
Thanks.
Please Send Back A.S.A.P,
Danielle
Hello Ashley,
this is one of my favourite poems. I remember from school the
interpretation of the last lines. "this" concerns on/to? the writings of
an author. That written words will live for ever.
Shakespeare wrote these sonnets for a women, who supported him with
money and he wanted to tell her, that his words would make her
un-dyable.
Sorry, my English ist not very well. I hope you can understand it.
Anne Küsters
Hello, I have to write a paper for school on this poem. What would be the
structure of the poem, and was there anything about the author that might be more
helpful in understanding this poem? Please help. Thanks :)
It will forever keep her young by immortalizing the image of her beauty
through the written word. As she may age this will always preserve the
beauty that once was hers.
-Kate
I just want to comment on previous comments made:
<<This sonnet should be compared to Shakespeares "My mistresses eyes are
nothing like the sun" ~ What a hypocrite!!!>>
Ali really shows her (I'm assuming that Ali is a female) ignorance. This sonnet (18) was written for a man who had commissioned Shakespeare to write it. The other was for his wife/mistress/whatever. If you actually read Sonnet 130, you will find that that, at the end of the sonnet, he says, "And yet, I think my love as rare As any she belied with false compare." He is saying that he still loves her and that he wouldn't trade her for the world.
This poem got me laid
Man was it awsome
Here is a poem of my own
Pow i shoot at the cow
I missed the cow and shoot the sow
None i have no sow and still a cow
thank you
woo i love this poem
al u peeple r rong man. buffness thing shakespeare rote dis poem to me, but u no wat i am still trying to figure out watsom of the lines mean man its hard. oh baby shakey cum bak and tell me!!plzzz love u shakey xxx D.R
boo! dis poem 2 me not u! haha
It is not of a mistress he wrote this poem to, nor is it of a woman.
"and often in HIS gold complexion dimmed,"
Shakespeare's sexuality will continually be questioned, the relevance,
none. But questioned it will forever become.....
Yet I do agree, one of his best works,
Rochelle.
I read your note about Shall I compare thee....Where did you find Dave
Gilmour's vocal of it?
I am a ripish 51!
Thanks.
Rita
this is tha sweetest poem eva.. i loved it, i have 2 do an oral presentation on it for lit, does anyone noe what a close reading of the text thro an analysis of the interrelationship between the reader, writer, text and context would b? thanx dudes
natz : )
Hey i have a question on this sonnet. What would you consider to be the main theme. And are there any points when you see that shakespeare uses a specific word for a reason which identifies alliteration, assonance, denotation, connotation??? help im illiterate when it comes to poems.. :( can you respond to thank you!!
Radicall dude
one of my favorites
i love it
yeah. couldn't the "HIS" part of "And often is his gold complexion dimm'd" be referring to summer... I don't really like the idea of a GAY Shakespeare. It's actually quite interesting because I'm using this poem in a debate about if beauty is better than brains. This will be used as evidence that beauty is praised in literature, not brains.
I have a test on this poem in a few days. Although I have read it many times
I am still unsure of what it is truly about. where does it take place.
who is the character?
to what audience is he talking
to?
when?
what motivates shakespeare?
main character?
I know some of these. I just want to make sure that I am reading it and
answering this right.
the brilliance of Shakespeare lies in his ability to hide a deeper meaning amongst a more straightforward explanation. If you look at the subject more metaphysically he could be talking about truth,god,nirvana or whatever you like to call it. i.e. sometimes that truth is felt really strongly other times it is dimmed etc
it is possible that the man he is referring to in the play is the earl of southampton because he funded him for his works of art, he is not in love with him but he shows his affection towards him for his help. and the last two lines are saying that as long as men can breathe they'll will be able to read the description of this 'so called' beautiful/wonderful man, that shakespeare pays tribute to, forever.
dub tee eff? i wrote this yesterday! who put it on the world wide web! this is total plagiarisagism! im going to find out who dun did it, and then get them indited for tax fraud! i mean it! i have IRS homies!
you best watch yo back. i want my royalties.
I m Italian, my name is mario
I have written a modest poem:
Gira più forte o Terra, scagliaci tutti intorno da dove siam venuti
In mezzo allo spazio/tempo da dove siam cresciuti.
Distruggi tutto,
ma lasciami , in mezzo a tanto orrore
solo un sonetto solo
il numero diciotto
che parla del mio amore.
The translation says that the earth should vome faster and throw us of us
away in the middle of the time space, before the big bang.
But the poet ( me ) implore to leave him in the middle
of this horror
just one sonnet only the number eighteen which speaks of his lover.
Like it?
.
heyy I was just wondering ... why are the last two lines indented ? is it because they are more significant to the others
For my English Home work i have to write a sonnet ....... kinda mimicing
sonnet 18.& its really hard i really dont no wot to do ?
like i hAVE TO DO ." SHALL I COMPARE THEE TO A DOGHNUT BUN?"
HHHHEEEEEELLLLLLPPPPPPPPPP !!!!!!!!!!!
I would just like to point out especially to "Familie Heemskerk" that "Shall I compare......" was written for a boy not a women. I am not saying thet he was gay but this was written for a person he really loved.
What does the word owest in this peom line 10 mean?
~Mandy
Line 9-10 talk about the fact his beloved's being will not end (but thy
eternal sun shall not fade) and that she will keep her beauty (that
fair) that she owes to the sun to begin with (nor lose possession of
that fair thou owest). Owest = ows't = ownest = posses
When was the poem written?
This message is not the responsibility of Gravesend Grammar School For Girls.
If you have any complaints about this message please reply to
this sonnet was wrote to his best friend.
Please can you translate this poem for me because I have to do a school
project and I don't know what this poem is saying. I need each line
translated so I can understand it.
My interpretation to this poem may be way off, but here it is:
(First off, it doesn't matter to me if it's a male or female he is
writing to. I'll refer to the person as a woman, though.)
1: My sense is that the first line is the speaker repeating a question
that is asked of him... his woman is feeling insecure and what's some
validation of her beauty or his love for her.
2: She's nicer and more beautiful that a summer's day.
Here's where I shift: The talk of seasons and months makes me always
think of the cycle of life. Also, line 3 says "May," which isn't
summer, probably not even in merry olf England.
3: So I think "the darling buds of May" is a reference to those in "the
May" of their lives. My way of thinking has that at adolescence. I'm
going with about a 17-18 year-old girl.
4: The beauty of summertime goes by too fast.
5: Sometimes summer is too intense (hot).
6: Summertime weather can be turbulent, "gold complexion dimm'd."
7-8: Summer's beauty inevitably "declines," simply by the passage of
time.
Summing up 4-8: She wants him to compare her to a summer day, but he
says she's far better because of all of these bad things. He's trying
to convince her that there are flaws with "summer." i.e. I've never
done this, of course, but some husbands may say to their wives
something like, "Oh, she's TOO pretty. Or her legs and boobs are too
perfect. Boy will THEY sag when she gets older!" "Summer" is a person
in the prime of her life, the other well-recognized ideals of beauty.
(Charlize Theron is a woman in the summer of her life.) The fall of
one's life is when things start to sag, fall, etc.
The rest is what I really love. It's where he gets truly romantic.
9-10: Her beauty will NEVER go away (unlike summer, that comes to an
end). She'll ALWAYS have what makes her beautiful to him.
11-12: Death can't brag that she'll be near--she won't die
FOREVER--because ... (of the last 2 lines).
13-14: Until the end of time, as long people exist, and more
importantly, this poem exists, your beauty will live on. You will be
immortal.
This poem is wonderful because he has convinced her that her loves her,
thinks she's beautiful, and she'll be so forever.
I've had others argue against my interpretation. So have at it.
Having read all of the comments on Sonnet 18, I feel really depressed
that so many know so little and feel even less. I would weep for
them, but to no avail. "A dog returns to it's vomit." So these
return to their swill. Please do NOT print this and remove my
previous posting. Thanks ever so much...
SDG
jco
If one will grow in beauty in eternal lines one is not human because most
beautiful people will get less beautiful as they get older. The last two lines
make it obvious that that it is not a person. The speaker may be talking
about inner spirit. The theme of the poem is the love in the eyes of the
beholder, beauty is eternal.
To say "it doesn't matter who he wrote it to" defeats the point of the poem... that that young man would never be forgotton. Homophobia was non-existant in Elizabethan England, the Victorian era put an end to this, however, and we are, sadly, still getting by using those morals. I think we should exept that Shakespere wrote this to a man, not imagine any different because of our own beliefs.
**Rowan**
Hi I found this...My name is Actually Summer Day..It Gave Life to
Me...Eternal I must say..Amazing....
the poem was very stupid
It would keep her young forever because the poem will live on for years and
will never get old and she will live on as beautiful as the poem is.
natascha
He didn't want to 'compare thee to a summers day' as summer lasts for just 3
months so it is as if she is only beautiful for a certain amount of time. I
hope this is what u ment if it did help i would like to know, e-mail m if u
could on ()
Hi
I just want to say that i agree and apreciate the way u explained the poem.
Want to say that I´ve heard many things about Shakespear sexual orientation, but it dont matter. What matters is how one feels and undertands when reads it.
5 years ago, i was a beginner in english I gave this poem to a teacher o mine ( from a girl to a woman), she was very pleased and even cried. Only after a while (3 years) I realised that it is the best gift and compliment that one can receive.
Eliana Cunha
All of you make me so mad if you have done any research on
Shakespeare you would get that the beloved he is referring to is a
male not a female. As for you Ali Zaki he is no hypocrite because of
his sonnet "My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun" he said
mistress for a reason. Nowhere in Sonnet 18 does he give a gender to
his beloved. As for the questions about the rhyming couplet at the
very end "So long lives this and this gives life to thee" if you
spent more time looking at it you would see that THIS is the poem.
the eternal lines should have given it away...lines of poetry...
Shakespeare's poem has immortalized his beloved. In fact every one of
you who read this poem have allowed Shakespeare's beloved to go on
living. This is why the poem is everlasting because of us.
so I have one question: how come Shakespeare uses iambic pentameter in most of his poems and how does that affect the overall effect the poem has on the reader like in "shall I compare thee to a summers day"? ok thank you
Okay, listen here.
From what I learned IN SCHOOL today, Shakespeare wrote this sonnet to his younger male patron, the Earl of South Hampton. Shakespeare admired this man's beauty, and the Earl was said to be presumably bi-sexual or homo-sexual. So, therefore, this poem is open to interpretation, but Shakespeare only wrote sonnets about women in his later age when the "Dark Lady" began to appear in his poetry. He despised his love for this so-called "Dark Lady," probably because admiration of women was against his moral beliefs at the time. Though he was married to Anne Hathaway, it was a marriage without love.
I may only be a sophomore, but I've done my research. :]
Crystal<3
im lost.. need metaphors and personifications!!!
Actually, the poem is about a man,not his nephew or a woman. Because of his romantic sense of writing to males, controversy raised as there was suspicion in Shakespeare's gender of soul mate. It is inferred that he could've been homosexual.
Summer is the height of anyones life where he or she is at their best! Then comes fall and winter.
Spring is the time of courting and mating!
There is something awesome and beautiful in a lion or tiger or any creature; humans included, who are fully mature, male or female. Those who are in the fall or winter of their lives admire and wish to preserve those who are the best examples of full maturity, in the "summer of their lives". Those who paint or sculpture seek to preserve the most excellent examples of men or women for future generations to admire.
Shakespeare was no different his choice of medium for expression was words.
I love when I have the opportunity to read blogs as interesting as this. really thanks and congratulations. is of great concern to me about Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer's Day? (Sonnets XVIII) -- William Shakespeare your topic
i luv shakespeare's poetry
i must say he was the best.
because my b'day is same as him on 23 april.
thanks
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amazing poem i read it more than ten times
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Michael Wood in his biography of Shakespeare pg 183-185 asserts that the language of the poems, incorporating themes of love and death suggest that the 'Young Man' in question was his 9 year old son Hamnet who died in 1596, and not some romantic overature to a courtly lord in tights. I just thought I'd add this, to counter the multi-cultural perspective we were all force fed in college.
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