Alfred 1

Seun Alfred

Ms. White

AP Literature

2 November 2020

Time: It's Continuous Notion

In “Sonnet 60”, William Shakespeare talks about the essence of time and its importance.

Time can be perceived as mystifying and cruel as it gives life but it also takes in the process.

Time refreshes itself constantly. We should take advantage of time in the moment because it

never comes back. Shakespeare communicates the unavoidable end that follows time and utilizes

this to communicate his confidence that his poetry pieces will convey his value and worth in the

near future. He uses simplistic diction and figurative language to relate time to the things of the

world such as the waters by the shore or the light of an eclipse.

The speaker begins the poem by saying, “Like as the waves make towards the pebbl'd

shore/So do our minutes hasten to their end.” He uses an analogy to represent the idea of time in

a continuous notion. When waves find their way to the shore, the water recycles back to the seas.

In that same notion, time moves forward and starts a brand new hour or day. We never get that

time back. Furthermore are the stages of life, “Nativity, once in the main of light/ Crawls to

maturity, wherewith being crown'd/ Crooked eclipses 'gainst his glory fight.” The speaker begins

with the word ‘nativity’ which carries a positive connotation as it's synonymous for birth. He

uses the word “crawl” to associate the process as slow and long.The verse then has a

contradictory tone change where the speaker uses the phrase ‘crooked eclipses’. This phrase

holds sort of a negative connotation as it implies pain or despair; hinting back at how time

changes. The speaker could likewise be stating that the chance of development slithers by
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gradually when contrasted with the speedy plummet after one's prime years. Time progresses

within the blink of an eye. As soon as the sun reaches its final level of maturity, the setting is

dimmed by the “crooked eclipses”. It is evident that as time progresses, quality and value

deteriorates and it doesn’t renew itself. That is the cycle of life. To avoid the strain of times

effects, one should bask in the moment, enjoy the moment, opportunities occur once in a lifetime

before they become “crooked eclipses”. Shakespeare shifts slightly from simplistic diction to

more concrete words. He says, “And Time that gave doth now his gift confound/ Time doth

transfix the flourish set on youth/ And delves the parallels in beauty's brow/ Feeds on the rarities

of nature's truth,” The author refers to the harmful and damaging effects of the process of death

by using words like ‘delve’ and ‘scythe’. A scythe is a tool of destruction used to cut crops and

to delve means to dig in or reach inside, all hinting at the pain time can inflict. Shakespeare uses

the word ‘delve’ to convey the idea that the speaker is looking for beauty that is diminishing. He

begins to personify time as a villain or as a parasite, as it does nothing but destroy.

In the couple of the sonnet, we see a joyous tone shift where the speaker says, “And yet

to times in hope my verse shall stand, Praising thy worth, despite his cruel hand.” The couplet of

Sonnet 60 is so crucial because Shakespeare reveals his overarching takeaway, that though time

waits for no one and life slowly diminishes as time progress; poetry is invincible in the eyes of

time. Time has the power to take away from the beauty of life, his “verse shall stand”. This idea

is what makes poetry such a thing of beauty and a thing to be appreciated. Time sits tight for no

one. Minutes tick by and the seas move and people can do little to withstand the impacts. As time

passes by and in such, it removes our youth and excellence. As the speaker ended up hopeful, so

should we. We should take the little time that we have as a gift and not allow it to inflict the pain

that time has the potential to cause.