Overview
This lecture analyzes Shakespeare’s Sonnet 73, focusing on its structure, themes (aging and death), use of metaphor, and changes in tone and mood.
Background on Sonnet 73 and Shakespeare
- William Shakespeare wrote 154 sonnets; Sonnet 73 discusses aging and death.
- Shakespeare lived from 1564 to 1616 and was an English playwright, poet, and actor.
- Sonnet 73 is known for exploring the inevitability of aging and mortality.
Structure of Sonnet 73
- Sonnet 73 is an Elizabethan (Shakespearean) sonnet with 14 lines.
- Structure: three quatrains (4 lines each) and one rhyming couplet (2 lines).
- The rhyme scheme is ABAB CDCD EFEF GG.
- Written in iambic pentameter.
- First two quatrains introduce main ideas; the third quatrain introduces a shift; the couplet provides a conclusion.
Analysis of Quatrains
- First Quatrain: The speaker compares aging to autumn, using yellow leaves and bare branches as metaphors for growing old.
- The absence of birds and leaves symbolizes lost vitality and the passage of time.
- Second Quatrain: Twilight is used to represent the end of life, with the coming night symbolizing death.
- The mood is gloomy and melancholic as darkness (death) overtakes the day (life).
- Third Quatrain: The aging speaker likens himself to dying embers, with ashes symbolizing the remnants of youth.
- There is a juxtaposition of past vitality (fire) and present decline (ashes).
- The tone is deeply distressful and reflective.
The Final Couplet and Tone Shift
- The couplet encourages the addressee to love more strongly in the face of impending loss.
- Tone shifts from depression to hope and consolation, focusing on the power of love.
- The poem concludes by embracing love as a source of strength despite inevitable death.
Key Themes and Mood
- Prominent themes: aging, death, and the enduring power of love.
- Cycle of life is depicted through extended metaphors (autumn, twilight, dying fire).
- The mood shifts from somber and despairing to hopeful and consoling in the final lines.
Key Terms & Definitions
- Quatrain — a stanza of four lines.
- Couplet — two rhymed lines that conclude a sonnet.
- Iambic Pentameter — a metrical pattern with five pairs of unstressed/stressed syllables per line.
- Metaphor — a figure of speech comparing two unlike things without using "like" or "as".
- Extended Metaphor — a metaphor developed over several lines or throughout a poem.
- Twilight — the time of day following sunset, used to symbolize the end of life.
Action Items / Next Steps
- Review the modern English translation of Sonnet 73 to clarify difficult lines.
- Study the structure and key metaphors of other sonnet types and poetic forms.
- Be able to identify shifts in theme and tone in poetry analyses.
Sonnet 73 Line-by-Line Analysis
Line 1:
“That time of year thou mayst in me behold”
- The speaker invites the reader to see a particular "time of year" in himself.
- Metaphor: The speaker compares his stage in life to a season, implying aging.
Line 2:
“When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang”
- Yellow leaves symbolize aging or decline; few or no leaves indicate nearing the end.
- Metaphor: Aging is compared to autumn leaves falling.
- Personification: Leaves "hang" as if clinging on, emphasizing fragility.
Line 3:
“Upon those boughs which shake against the cold,”
- The branches shaking against the cold wind symbolize vulnerability.
- Personification: Branches "shake" as if alive and affected by cold.
Line 4:
“Bare ruined choirs, where late the sweet birds sang.”
- "Bare ruined choirs" metaphorically represent empty, leafless branches.
- Metaphor: Branches are likened to ruined choirs (places of singing), emphasizing loss of vitality.
- Personification: Birds "sang" in the past, now silent, indicating loss.
Line 5:
“In me thou see'st the twilight of such day”
- Twilight symbolizes the end of life or approaching death.
- Metaphor: Life compared to a day ending in twilight.
Line 6:
“As after sunset fadeth in the west,”
- The fading light after sunset represents decline.
- Metaphor: The fading day parallels the speaker’s fading life.
Line 7:
“Which by and by black night doth take away,”
- Night symbolizes death taking over life.
- Personification: Night "takes away" the day, emphasizing inevitability of death.
Line 8:
“Death's second self, that seals up all in rest.”
- Sleep is called "death's second self," a common metaphor equating sleep to a temporary death.
- Metaphor: Sleep as a form of death.
- Personification: Death "seals up all in rest," giving death an active role.
Line 9:
“In me thou see'st the glowing of such fire”
- The "glowing fire" represents the speaker’s remaining vitality or youth.
- Metaphor: Life compared to a fire burning.
Line 10:
“That on the ashes of his youth doth lie,”
- Ashes symbolize what remains after youth has passed.
- Metaphor: Ashes represent the remnants of youth.
Line 11:
“As the death-bed whereon it must expire,”
- The fire’s death-bed is the place where it will die, symbolizing the end of life.
- Metaphor: Death-bed as the final resting place of youth/vitality.
Line 12:
“Consumed with that which it was nourished by.”
- The fire is consumed by the fuel that once fed it, symbolizing how life is diminished by time.
- Metaphor: Life consuming itself as it ages.
Line 13:
“This thou perceiv'st, which makes thy love more strong,”
- The awareness of aging and mortality strengthens love.
- No direct metaphor here, but the idea is emotional.
Line 14:
“To love that well which thou must leave ere long.”
- The inevitability of loss intensifies love.
- No direct metaphor, but the sentiment is clear.