Sonnet 18
Sonnet 18 was written by William Shakespeare in Middle English originally in 1609.
Understand
"Sonnet 18" is a love poem where Shakespeare compares the beauty of his beloved to a summer day, but then explains that the beloved is even lovelier and more gentle.
While summer can be rough, fleeting, and subject to change, the beloved's beauty is eternal.
Shakespeare suggests that because his poem will last as long as people live and read it, the beloved's beauty will never fade, effectively defeating the passage of time and even death.
In essence, the poem celebrates the eternal beauty of the person loved, suggesting that through poetry, this beauty will never die.
Text
Each sentence has all the information needed to fully understand it, with each color showing a specific aspect:
- Translation
- Sentence in English.
- Original Sentence
- Sentence in Middle English.
- Words sequence
- Each word meaning and origin.
1/6
Shall I compare you to a summer’s day?
2/6
You are lovelier and more even-tempered:
3/6
Rough winds shake the darling buds of May, and summer’s time is all too brief.
Rough windes do shake the darling buds of Maie, and Sommers lease hath all too short a date:
rough
Rough - adjective
windes
do
do - auxiliary
shake
shake - verb
the
the - determiner
darling
darling - noun
buds
buds - noun
bud
of
of - adposition
Maie
May - proper noun
,
and
and - coordinating conjunction
Sommers
summer's - noun
sommer
lease
lease - noun
all
all - adverb
too
too - adverb
short
short - adjective
a
a - determiner
date
date - noun
:
4/6
Sometimes the sun shines too hot, and often its golden face is dimmed; Every beautiful thing loses its beauty at times, by chance, or by nature’s unadorned course.
sometime
sometime - adverb
too
too - adverb
hot
hot - adjective
the
the - determiner
eye
eye - noun
of
of - adposition
heauen
heaven - proper noun
shines
,
and
and - coordinating conjunction
often
often - adverb
his
his - pronoun
gold
gold - noun
complexion
complexion - noun
dimm'd
dimmed - verb
,
and
and - coordinating conjunction
euery
every - proper noun
faire
fair - noun
from
from - adposition
faire
fair - noun
some
some - determiner
-
time
time - noun
declines
declines - noun
decline
,
chance
chance - noun
,
or
or - coordinating conjunction
natures
changing
course
course - noun
vntrim'd
untrimmed - numeral
:
5/6
But your eternal summer will never fade, nor will you lose the beauty you possess; nor will death boast that you wander in his shade, for you will live on in these immortal lines.
but
but - coordinating conjunction
thy
your - pronoun
eternall
eternal - noun
Sommer
summer - proper noun
shall
shall - auxiliary
not
not - particle
fade
fade - verb
,
nor
nor - coordinating conjunction
loose
loose - adjective
possession
possession - noun
of
of - adposition
that
that - determiner
faire
fair - noun
thou
you - proper noun
ow'st
owe - proper noun
,
nor
nor - coordinating conjunction
shall
shall - auxiliary
death
death - noun
brag
brag - verb
thou
you - adjective
wandr'st
wander - noun
in
in - adposition
his
his - pronoun
shade
shade - noun
,
when
when - subordinating conjunction
in
in - adposition
eternall
eternal - noun
lines
to
to - particle
time
time - noun
thou
you - proper noun
grow'st
grow - noun
6/6
As long as people breathe and eyes can see, this poem will live, and it gives life to you.
So long as men can breath or eyes can see, so long liues this, and this giues life to thee,
so
so - adverb
long
long - adverb
as
as - subordinating conjunction
can
can - auxiliary
breath
breath - verb
or
or - coordinating conjunction
eyes
can
can - auxiliary
see
see - verb
,
so
so - adverb
long
long - adjective
liues
lives - noun
liue
this
this - pronoun
,
and
and - coordinating conjunction
this
this - pronoun
giues
gives - verb
giue
life
life - noun
to
to - adposition
thee
you - pronoun
,
Themes and Interpretation
Immortality Through Art
The poem asserts that while nature and physical beauty are fleeting, the beauty of the beloved is eternal, preserved forever through the written word.
The Ephemeral Nature of a Summer’s Day
By comparing the beloved to a summer’s day—one that is charming yet transient—the poem highlights how natural beauty is subject to change, decay, and the harshness of time.
Enduring Love and Admiration
The speaker’s admiration transcends the temporary qualities of the natural world, suggesting that true beauty and love are profound, constant, and unyielding to time.
Power of Poetry to Defy Time
The verses themselves serve as a monument that grants the beloved immortality; as long as the poem is read, the beloved’s beauty will never fade.
Contrast Between Imperfection and Idealization
The imperfections of a summer day—rough winds and fluctuating weather—are set against the flawless and temperate beauty of the beloved, emphasizing an ideal that nature cannot match.