Lecture Notes on Shakespeare's Sonnet 18

Introduction

• Presenter: Rebecca Balcarcel
• Focus: Analysis of Shakespeare's Sonnet 18, "Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer's Day?"
• Addressed to a man referred to as the "young man"

Context and Themes

• The poem raises questions about Shakespeare's sexuality (gay, bisexual, or writing on behalf of a woman)
• Common Renaissance saying: "As good as one shall see in a summer's day" - familiarity to the audience

Detailed Analysis

Opening Lines

• "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?"
  • Starts with a question of comparison
  • Acknowledges that the beloved is more lovely and temperate than summer

Key Vocabulary

• Temperate: signifies moderation, steadiness; relates to the theme of time
• Emphasizes that the beloved is more reliable than the wild nature of summer

Nature of Summer

• "Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May"
  • Nature's unpredictability affects summer
• "Summer's lease hath all too short a date"
  • Summer is temporary, highlighting the theme of impermanence

Characteristics of Time

• "Sometime, too hot the eye of heaven shines"
  • The sun (eye of heaven) can be excessive or hidden
• "Every fair from fair sometime declines"
  • Beauty is transient and subject to decline over time

Thematic Development

• "By chance, or nature's changing course, untrimmed"
  • Beauty may decline due to random events or natural aging
  • Comparison to trimming a Christmas tree - as nature progresses, beauty is diminished

Shift in Tone

• "But thy eternal summer shall not fade"
  • The beloved has a beauty that transcends time
• "Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow'st"
  • "Ow'st" implies both ownership and debt; beauty may be borrowed but is ultimately returned

Immortality through Poetry

• "Nor shall death brag thou wanderest in his shade"
  • Death cannot claim the beloved, as they will live on through the poem
• "Eternal lines to Time thou grow'st"
  • The poem serves as a vessel for eternal remembrance

Closing Thoughts

• "So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see, so long lives this, and this gives life to thee"
  • The poem immortalizes the beloved
  • The "this" refers to the poem itself

Concluding Remarks

• The poem reflects on the nature of beauty, time, and immortality
• It explores what lasts versus what fades, demonstrating that the beloved will endure through poetry and lineage
• Shakespeare's mastery in weaving complex themes into a love poem

Final Note

• Emphasizes the relationship between art and immortality
• Encouragement to explore more poetry in future sessions

Thank you for attending the lecture!