SONNET 18

William Shakespeare
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 ow'st;
Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou grow'st;
So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.
Images:
- Summertime
- Darling buds flowers
- Eye of Heaven Sun
- Clouds
- Death
- Natures changing course changes age brings
- Eternity
- Immortality
Ideas:
Although his unwavering love/fondness is evident, I dont
think this sonnet is a testament to Shakespeares love for his
muse. Its more about Shakespeare ability to solidify his
muse immortal by way of his writing. Its a subtly boastful
piece. Shakespeare knows his words are as great as they are
immortal. Hes almost bestowing his ability upon his muse.

Shakespeare is wording confidently how he can grant

immortality. And then showing it by writing a sonnet in which
he does just that.
Other ideas:
- Consistency of his muses love.
- Shakespeare compares his muse to summer, slowly
converting him/her through his words to summer itself.
- He could be showing off his writing abilities to his muse.