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Eternal Love and the Ravages of Time in Shakespeare's Sonnets

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Eternal Love and the Ravages of Time in Shakespeare's Sonnets Eternal Love and the Ravages ofBy: Dylan OrtizTime in Shakespeare's Sonnets Introduction Throughout this ongoing Life is incredibly fragile, so Death is a part of life and it pandemic, time has felt much so that we live connects us all; once we abundant for some, while it through it oblivious of are no longer around, what has unfortunately been knowing the last time we do we leave for our loved running out for others will get to see one another ones to remember us by? Regardless of the For this very reason, life is William Shakespeare wrote pandemic, we must always considered a gift; we extensively about this cherish the time we have should not wait until the notion in his sonnets, which on this planet and spend it last second to tell someone have stood the test of time with those we love dearly how much we love them due to their universality Research Question Thesis What themes, ideas, and emotions does William In sonnets 19, 60, 65, and 71, Shakespeare conveys his fear Shakespeare seek to convey with regard to the passage of of human mortality and eternalizes his love for the Fair time as well as the Fair Youth in sonnets 19, 60, 65, and 71? Youth, despite the ravages of time Insights Sonnet 19: Sonnet 60: Devouring Time, blunt thou the lion's paws, Shakespeare utilizes the theme of nature Like as the waves make towards the pebbl'd shore, According to Shakespeare, our time here And make the earth devour her own sweet brood; to describe the formidable impact that So do our minutes hasten to their end; on earth is swiftly approaching its demise, Pluck the keen teeth from the fierce tiger's jaws, time has in its possession Each changing place with that which goes before, similar to waves heading for the seashore And burn the long-liv’d Phoenix in her blood; In sequent toil all forwards do contend. Make glad and sorry seasons as thou fleets, The “antique pen” (10) embodies the Nativity, once in the main of light, He speaks of the ravages of time, stating And do whate'er thou wilt, swift-footed Time, passage of time, symbolizing his fear of Crawls to maturity, wherewith being crown'd, that it “delves the parallels in beauty's To the wide world and all her fading sweets; such a concept entering his physical Crooked eclipses 'gainst his glory fight, brow" (10), referring to forehead wrinkles But I forbid thee one more heinous crime: reality and becoming a part of it And Time that gave doth now his gift confound. that humans develop as they age O, carve not with thy hours my love's fair brow, Time doth transfix the flourish set on youth Nor draw no lines there with thine antique pen! And delves the parallels in beauty's brow, In addition, he communicates how he He challenges time's potential, asking it Him in thy course untainted do allow Feeds on the rarities of nature's truth, believes his poems will endure through to do its worst, since he believes the Fair For beauty's pattern to succeeding men. time in order to display the true value Youth will always be young in his writings And nothing stands but for his scythe to mow: Yet do thy worst, old Time! Despite thy wrong And yet to times in hope my verse shall stand, that life undoubtedly holds My love shall in my verse ever live young. Praising thy worth, despite his cruel hand. Sonnet 65: Sonnet 71: Whereas the past sonnets personified Shakespeare juxtaposes the frailty of Since brass, nor stone, nor earth, nor boundless sea No longer mourn for me when I am dead death and optimistically perceived the beauty with the powerful force in which But sad mortality o’er-sways their power, Than you shall hear the surly sullen bell future, this ensuing verse presents the death encompasses How with this rage shall beauty hold a plea, Give warning to the world that I am fled speaker reflecting on his imminent death Whose action is no stronger than a flower? From this vile world with vilest worms to dwell; O, how shall summer’s honey breath hold out The speaker is hopelessly left wondering Nay, if you read this line, remember not Shakespeare suggests that the human Against the wrackful siege of batt’ring days, if there is any force strong enough to The hand that writ it; for I love you so, conditions of life and death are closely When rocks impregnable are not so stout, counter time and impede it from That I in your sweet thoughts would be forgot, interconnected with one another in lines Nor gates of steel so strong, but time decays? affecting his lover If thinking on me then should make you woe. 3-4; both are dreadful states in his eyes O fearful meditation! where, alack, O, if (I say) you look upon this verse, In Shakespeare's opinion, if the memory Shall time’s best jewel from time’s chest lie hid? Unaware of what the future holds, When I (perhaps) compounded am with clay, of him results in sorrow for the Fair Youth, Or what strong hand can hold his swift foot back? Shakespeare considers the lasting Do not so much as my poor name rehearse, he should allow his love to vanish as his Or who his spoil of beauty can forbid? impression his work may forever own But let your love even with my life decay, lover's body withers away to dust O, none, unless this miracle have might, Lest the wise world should look into your moan, That in black ink my love may still shine bright. And mock you with me after I am gone. Conclusion All four sonnets reveal the They also display his endless Time is depicted as an all- Shakespeare's sonnets More than 400 years after his dread Shakespeare love for the Fair Youth and powerful entity that will challenge the authority time death, the world continues encountered in the face of his inclination to have his unleash its strength onto all possesses by voicing how to gain an understanding of time's mighty hand work live on forever those who live love conquers all Shakespeare’s writings Significance References Basdekis, Demetrius. "Death in the Sonnets of Shakespeare and Camões." Hispania, vol. 46, no. 1, 1963, pp. 102–105. JSTOR, Shakespeare established his own sonnet structure, relating the first twelve lines with one another to doi:10.2307/336945. Accessed 24 Nov. 2020. Crawforth, Hannah. "An Introduction to Shakespeare's Sonnets." The British Library, The British Library, 20 June 2017, create a main conflict; a couplet is then used to provide a resolution to the preceding issue www.bl.uk/shakespeare/articles/an-introduction-to-shakespeares-sonnets. Accessed 24 Nov. 2020. Kaula, David. "'In War with Time': Temporal Perspectives in Shakespeare's Sonnets." Studies in English Literature, 1500-1900, vol. 3, no. 1, 1963, "Shakespeare is geared towards one central idea: time is a hideous destructive force which pp. 45–57. JSTOR, doi:10.2307/449544. Accessed 25 Nov. 2020. Shakespeare, William. “Sonnet 19: Devouring Time, Blunt Thou the Lion's...” Poetry Foundation, Poetry Foundation, constantly cohabits with death" (Basdekis 102); it is this alliance between human mortality and the www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/45088/sonnet-19-devouring-time-blunt-thou-the-lions-paws. Accessed 1 Nov. 2020. progression of time that Shakespeare abundantly emphasizes Shakespeare, William. “Sonnet 60: Like as the Waves Make towards the...” Poetry Foundation, Poetry Foundation, www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/45095/sonnet-60-like-as-the-waves-make-towards-the-pebbld-shore. Accessed 1 Nov. 2020. "The figure of time creates a formidable antagonist against which to assert the force and constancy Shakespeare, William. “Sonnet 65: Since Brass, nor Stone, nor Earth, nor...” Poetry Foundation, Poetry Foundation, www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/50646/sonnet-65-since-brass-nor-stone-nor-earth-nor-boundless-sea. Accessed 1 Nov. 2020. of his devotion" (Kaula 45); time plays a significant role throughout these sonnets, serving as a basis Shakespeare, William. “Sonnet 71: No Longer Mourn for Me When I Am Dead...” Poetry Foundation, Poetry Foundation, for Shakespeare's aspiration to preserve his lover's ideal youth and immortalize his faithfulness www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/45098/sonnet-71-no-longer-mourn-for-me-when-i-am-dead. Accessed 1 Nov. 2020..
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