Sydney Pearce

Ms. Gardner
English 10H/Per.4
6 September 2016
Sonnet Analysis
My glass shall not persuade me I am old,
So long as youth and thou are of one date,
But when in thee time's furrows I behold,
Then look I death my days should expiate.
For all that beauty that doth cover thee,
Is but the seemly raiment of my heart,
Which in thy breast doth live, as thine in me,
How can I then be elder than thou art?
O therefore love be of thyself so wary,
As I not for my self, but for thee will,
Bearing thy heart which I will keep so chary
As tender nurse her babe from faring ill.
Presume not on thy heart when mine is slain,
Thou gav'st me thine not to give back again.

In sonnet 22, written by Shakespeare, the speaker of this poem believes his love will live
eternally: he knows he is secure with their partner, despite their age difference. In the first quatrain, the
speaker exposes the main focus of the poem through powerful personification. He is certain that the
mirror will never tell him he is old as long as his lover is young; however, he then states that once they
become old, that will be the day he dies. He has to deal with the issue of seeing his lover age and diminish
just like him, but for now, he believes he is the same age emotionally as his lover. Shakespeare further
elaborates in the second quatrain, using elaborate metaphors and personification, he deals with the subject
of the two lovebirds hearts. He knows that his loves beauty covers his heart like clothing on a body, and
since both of their hearts live in the same place, how can one be older? The speaker conveys passion in
these lines because he believes his lovers beauty is merely clothing, and once they get older, it wont
affect the way he sees them. In the third quatrain, the speaker addresses the fact that his lovers heart is
inside his, and his inside theirs with an impressive simile. He tells his lover to take care of themselves as
they grow old, just as he did, and to be precious like a nurse with her babe with both of their hearts. He
also is aware of his responsibility to keep their hearts safe as well. The couplet, possibly the most
important lines, Shakespeare displays his use of vulgar diction. He states that the speakers lover cannot
go back for their heart after breaking their partners. This poem demonstrates the perils of love between
different ages and the naivety of young lovers, and all he will teach them.