Chen 1

Tiffany Chen
Mrs. Gardner
English 10 Hon Period 1
13 September 2013

Sonnet 63 Analysis
In Shakespeares sonnet sixty-three, Time is an inevitable and competent force which
dictates all beings: the poet is able to overcome Times power by embedding his eternal loves
youth in poetry. The intimate use of personification emphasizes the detrimental connotation the
poet establishes of time. The poet describes Time as having an injurious hand, signifying Time
is a harmful force which has negative effects. By using human characteristics to describe Time,
he provides the reader with a detailed level of perception that allows them to vividly imagine a
crushed and oerworn hand having the ability to deteriorate all life.The poet says Time has a
cruel knife which can cut from memory his love. The portrayal of Time possessing a cruel
knife is a vicious yet literal notion of Times ability to erase human memories. The dynamic
diction strengthens the portrayal of Time. The words oerworn and crushed characterizes
Times injurious hand, and create an expressive depiction of the effect on men. The word
crushed, conveys the essence of old age, a youthful liveliness crushed by Time, and
oerworn suggests the weary essence of old age.
The sonnet structure of this poem builds up impact, as it accumulates negative images of
Time throughout the poem, then defies powerful Time in the paradox embedded couplet. The
paradox states that his beloveds beauty will be seen through these black lines, implying that
he is speaking about poetry. And they shall live, and he in them still green. declares through
these lines of poetry, his youth will carry on. This paradox states the main theme of the sonnet;
though his beloveds death is ultimately inescapable, through poetry his loves spirit will live on.
In this way, even almighty Time will never snatch away his beloveds beauty.