Analysis of Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer's Day by Shakespeare - Research Paper Example

Shall I compare thee to a summers day? Shakespeare’s sonnet 18 famously d “Shall I compare thee to a summers day?” is one of the greatest works of Shakespeare. Generally, the sonnet is about a beloved’s comparison to a summer’s day. This is reflected in the opening line of the sonnet that states “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?” In the course of the sonnet the speaker delves on this comparison although at the end there is a conclusion that the beloved is better than the summer’s day.

This is reflected throughout the sonnet but more especially in the last lines of the sonnet such as line 9 stating “But thy eternal summer shall not fade”. This is arguably the greatest difference and point that makes the beloved better since unlike the summer’s day the beloved is eternal. Moreover, the final lines of the piece explains how the beloved shall live forever in the words of the poem. Additionally, the couplet cements this by arguing that the beloved shall live eternally as long as men breathe and eyes see.

Nevertheless, to clearly understand the sonnet there it is important to focus more on the overriding theme and also the general feeling prevalent in the sonnet. Determination of the overriding theme requires a critical evaluation and analysis of the main emergent idea in the sonnet. Theme are important since they give a clearer and better understanding of the main argument in a poem. For this particular sonnet, the overriding theme can be considered to be love. This is because the greatest part of the sonnet mainly focuses on praises directed towards the beloved.

Unlike the summer’s day that seems to lack in so many respects such as too short, too hot, and too rough among others, the beloved carries all the desirable aspects of a perfect summer day. For example, the second line states “Thou art more lovely and more temperate”. Inclusion of such praise towards the beloved shows the speaker’s view and in totality love is the most prevalent theme in the sonnet. Incorporation of emotions in poetry is considered to be of great importance. This is because presence of emotions in a poem creates a platform for readers to interact with the main idea of the poem.

Since most poems are written in a seemingly hidden meaning technique, there is need to incorporate an aspect that can act as an intermediary between the persona and the reader hence enhancing understandability. Shakespeare has managed to invoke readers’ emotions through the comparison tactic. There is a general feeling of tenderness as the reader goes through the poem in entirety. This has mainly achieved through the speakers comparison that seems to lie in favor of the beloved who represents a combination of a well-blended summer day.

Conclusively, Shakespeare’s work is marked by great artistry that is mainly manifested by his ability to display a clear theme and feeling. The sonnet is dominated by a love theme that makes it possible to create an overall feeling of tenderness. This is achieved through careful choice of words that clearly give a comparison between the beloved and a summer day giving the sonnet a beautiful finish. Works Cited Shakespeare, William. “Sonnet 18”.