Essay on William Shakespeares 18th and 55th Sonnets

William Shakespeares 18th and 55th Sonnets Both William Shakespeare’s 18th and 55th sonnet’s are full and complete examples of poetry at its best, and, while studying Shakespeare’s form is very important, it is equally so to look at the content and even further deep to its true meanings. His techniques which have immortalized him over several centuries are displayed at their best while still capturing his goal of honoring his lover. Although the two poems were written separately, the shared theme is evident and they almost seem to flow together. In the 18th sonnet, Shakespeare begins by comparing his lover to a summer’s day, which may be seen as a high compliment. Upon reading further, you find that not even the sun and†¦show more content†¦Through the previous lines, he expressed the link of future lovers to the life of his own. He speaks of broken marble, neglected tombs, war, fire, and the greatest challenge, time, but, through it all, his love will live on in the eyes of the future. In his elaborate comparisons, Shakespeare uses extensive imagery along with personification and analogies from the very beginning of the 18th sonnet where he characterizes the admired one as a summer’s day. His descriptions of â€Å"besmeared† tombs and the fiery wars described in the 55th pull the reader in and force a vision of impending doom, only to be brought back out to a more serene feel by the ending lines describing eternal life and love. Things not usually mobile are brought to life by his personification, such as the sun and â€Å"his golden complexion† in the ever famous 18th sonnet. Even more moving is the characterization of death, made human and able to do such things as brag and consume one in his looming shade. The wind is given the power to blow itself and â€Å"shake the darling buds of May† while in the 55th Shakespeare declares mortal men unable to â€Å"outlive this powerful rhyme,† making it nearly god-like. The mysterious lover discussed so often in his works brings them the writing to life and fills us with questions as to who this powerful figure in William Shakespeare’s life could have been. One