Lovely is still quite commonly used in England and carries the same meaning then as it does now (attractive, nice, beautiful), while temperate, in Shakespeare's time, meant gentle-natured, restrained, moderate and composed. Form. Ominide 50 punti. ).Vor allem William Shakespeare (1564–1616) brachte das petrarkistische Liebessonett in der besonderen Form des elisabethanischen Sonetts (drei Quartette und abschließendes Couplet, hier wie im Italienischen stets … Say it quietly to yourself, and you'll find the natural thing to do is place a little more emphasis on that opening word because it is a question being asked. Shakespeare wrote 154 of them but this one tends to top most popular lists, mainly due to the opening line which every romantic knows off by heart. Previous Next . William Shakespeare, Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons. Synopsis. The text of Shakespeare's sonnet 19. English B (1060EN) Läsår. The stress is on the first syllable, after which the iambic pattern continues to the end. The text of Shakespeare's sonnet 18. Song of the Witches: “Double, double toil and trouble”, Sonnet 15: When I consider everything that grows, Sonnet 19: Devouring Time, blunt thou the lion's paws, Sonnet 25: Let those who are in favour with their stars. There may be metrical variations, but the form of "Sonnet 18" is that of a classic English or Shakespearean sonnet—three quatrains (four-line stanzas) rounded off with a rhyming couplet (the final two lines), adding up to 14 lines in total. How to cite this article: Shakespeare, William. The summer holds a lease on part … Finally, the lover's beauty, metaphorically an eternal summer, will be preserved forever in the poet's immortal lines. Kurs. When I read this opening line, the second version seems more natural because of that faint pause after the word thee. Shakespeare wrote 154 of them but this one tends to top most popular lists, mainly due to the opening line which every romantic knows off by heart. Il tema e' la la potenza della poesia che rende possibile eternare la realta,ed in questo caso rende quindi possibile rendere eterno l'amore cui si riferisce il sonetto. Summertime in England is a hit-and-miss affair weather-wise. But there is much more to this line than meets the eye, as you'll find out later in the analysis. If you’re writing more than one sonnet, you might want to connect your poems by introducing recurrent characters and motifs. The remaining 28 poems were written to the Dark Lady, an unknown figure in Shakespeare’s life who was only characterized throughout Sonnet 130 by her dark skin and hair. William Shakespeare's sonnets are world-renowned and are said to have been written for a "fair youth" (1–126) and a "dark lady" (127–54), but no one is totally certain for whom they were penned, as they include no definite names and no written evidence. Between repetition, assonance, alliteration and internal and end rhyme, readers of "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?" William Shakespeare wrote 154 sonnets, which were first published in a 1609 quarto.The Sonnets present themes like the passing of time, mortality, beauty, and love. If the emphasis was on the second word, I, the sense would be lost. Stampa; Shakespeare - Parafrasi Sonetto 18 . Associating "sluttish" with venereal disease makes Shakespeare's use of the word "besmeared" more specific. Sonnet 14 is one of the more challenging Sonnets in terms of its syntactical construction. In the first line, it refers to the uncertainty the speaker feels. Again, in line three, the iambic pentameter rhythm is altered by the use of a spondee (two stressed single-syllable words at the start): Rough winds / do shake / the dar / ling buds / of May. A veces quema el sol con su destello, otras, sus rayos tórridos se opacan Why is this an important issue? But wherefore do not you a mightier way. The rhetorical question is posed for both speaker and reader, and even the metrical stance of this first line is open to conjecture. While some lines are pure iambic, following the pattern of daDUM daDUM daDUM daDUM daDUM (an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable), others are not. This theme is introduced in Sonnet 1 and continues through to poem 17. Amanda Mabillard. By William Shakespeare About this Poet While William Shakespeare’s reputation is based primarily on his plays, he became famous first as a poet. "Sonnet 18" is written in traditional iambic pentameter, but it has to be remembered that this is the overall dominant metre (meter in the USA). 49 traduzioni Traduzioni: Ebraico, Esperanto #1, #2, Finlandese, Francese #1, #2, #3, Georgiano, Italiano #1 40 altro These two sonnets shared similarities and yet contained many exciting differences. When in eternal lines to time thou grow’st: So long as men can breathe or eyes can see. This image of the perfect English summer's day is then surpassed as the second line reveals that the lover is more lovely and more temperate. In poetry, a sonnet has 14 lines, and is written in iambic pentameter. Dirac creava equazioni che avessero quel tipo di sintesi ma che si potessero poi scompattare, proprio come quando si rilegge un sonetto di Shakespeare e se ne scorgono via via le qualità nascoste. Ed. That purpose cha Like many other sonnets, Sonnet 18 contains a volta, or turn, where the subject matter changes and the speaker shifts from describing the subject's beauty to describing what will happen after the youth eventually grows old and dies. Sonnet 18 is perhaps the best known of all sonnets. The text of Shakespeare's sonnet 18. So long lives this, and this gives life to thee. "Sonnet 18" is devoted to praising a friend or lover, traditionally known as the "fair youth." Thou, thee and thy are used throughout and refer directly to the lover—the fair youth. In lines 5-8, Shakespeare continues his analysis of the ways in which the young man is better than a summer’s day: sometimes the sun (‘the eye of heaven’) shines too brightly (i.e. Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18, ‘Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day’, was a natural choice: Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? Il poema è stato originariamente pubblicato, insieme ad altri sonetti di Shakespeare, in un quarto nel 1609. But there is also an alternative analysis of this first line that focuses on the mild caesura (pause after thee) and scans an amphibrach and an anapaest in a tetrameter line. The third foot is an anapaest, and the fourth a lonely iamb. The sonnet itself serves as a guarantee that this person's beauty will be sustained. While William Shakespeare’s reputation is based primarily on his plays, he became famous first as a poet. The opening line is almost a tease, reflecting the speaker's uncertainty as he attempts to compare his lover to a summer's day. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of various sonnets by William Shakespeare. Sonnet 18: Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? While Shakespeare was pursuing a successful career in acting, writing plays, promoting other playwrights and managing theatres he was also writing sonnets. About the Sonnet, www.english.illinois.edu. by Edward Bliss Reed, The Yale Shakespeare (1923) Other editions " Poem XVIII: To His Love ," in the Golden Treasury of English Songs and Lyrics , (ed.) Lines 13 and 14 reinforce the idea that the speaker's (poet's) poem will guarantee that the lover remains young, the written word becoming their breath and vital energy and ensuring their life continues. In line nine, there is a sense of some kind of definite promise, while line eleven conveys the idea of a command for death to remain silent. The poet then commands Time not to age the young man and ends by boldly asserting that the poet's own creative talent will make the youth permanently young and beautiful. I thought about the summer as a symbol for youth.' This is called anastrophe, the change of order in a sentence. There are four feet, so the line is in tetrameter. An Introduction to Shakespeare's Sonnets, www.bl.uk. In the sonnet, the speaker asks whether he should compare the young man to a summer's day, but notes that the young man has qualities that surpass a summer's day. "-This metaphor goes throughout the whole poem, Shakespeare goes to show how much lovelier his beloved is then the comparison really allows.Line 9: "But thy eternal summer shall not fade" -This metaphor suggests that his beloved will always be young to him, that she has a glow and vitality that is everlasting. Il poeta qui abbandona la sua ricerca della giovinezza per generare un figlio, e invece si gloria della bellezza della giovinezza. A Shakespearean Sonnet in Iambic Pentameter. That edition, The Sonnets of Shakespeare, consists of 154 sonnets, all written in the form of three quatrains and a … Sonnet 127 of Shakespeare's sonnets (1609) is the first of the Dark Lady sequence (sonnets 127–152), called so because the poems make it clear that the speaker's mistress has black hair and eyes and dark skin. Lines nine through twelve turn the argument for aging on its head. One of the best known of Shakespeare's sonnets, Sonnet 18 is memorable for the skillful and varied presentation of subject matter, in which the poet's feelings reach a level of rapture unseen in the previous sonnets. In England gab es eine bedeutende Sonettkultur unter den Dichtern der elisabethanischen Epoche (Sir Philip Sidney, Edmund Spenser, Michael Drayton, Samuel Daniel u. v. Winds blow, rainclouds gather and before you know where you are, summer has come and gone in a week. The Kingsway Shakespeare, 1937, George Harrap. The text of Shakespeare's sonnet 65. Sonnets 18-25 are often discussed as a group, as they all focus on the poet's affection for his friend. Shall I compare you to a summer's day? Well, the metre helps dictate the rhythm of a line and also how it should be read. Here, the emphasis is on death brag, the double stress reinforcing the initial trochee to make quite a powerful negation. The ravage of Time is the theme. Giosuè Carducci, the famous Italian poet and Nobel Prize winner in 1906, also dedicated a sonnet to Cante Gabrielli. Thou art more lovely and more temperate: Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, And summer's lease hath all too short a date: Read every line of Shakespeare’s original text alongside a modern English translation. Traduzioni: Ebraico, Esperanto #1, #2, Finlandese, Francese #1, #2, #3, Georgiano, Italiano #1 40 altro; Inglese . Life is not an easy passage through time for most (if not all) people. William Shakespeare And A Summary of Sonnet 18. Even death will be silenced because the lines of the poem will be read by future generations, when speaker/poet and lover are no more, keeping their fair image alive through the power of verse. He also notes the qualities of a summer day are subject to change and will eventually diminish. Summer is a warm, delightful time of the year often associated with rest and recreation. Summary. Artista: William Shakespeare; Canzone: Sonnet 18 Shall I compare thee to a Summer's day? The sonnet has the regular rhyme scheme ABAB CDCD EFEF GG. In the meantime, the vagaries of the English summer weather are called up again and again as the speaker attempts to put everything into perspective. Sonnet 128 strays from Shakespeare's usual diction, and thus creates its own category in Shakespearean sonnets. "Sonnet 18" is perhaps the best known of all of Shakespeare's 154 sonnets, primarily due to the opening line, "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day," which every true romantic knows by heart. This is a classic Shakespearean sonnet with fourteen lines in very regular iambic pentameter. Sonetto 18 è forse il più famoso dei 154 sonetti di Shakespeare completato nel corso della sua vita (che non includono i sei ha incluso in molte delle sue opere teatrali). It also opens with a trochee: Nor shall death brag thou wand'rest in his shade. An introduction to the greatest English language poet and playwright. Shakespeare, William - Sonetto 18 Traduzione e commento. Sonnet 90 (Italienisch Übersetzung) Künstler/in: William Shakespeare; Lied: Sonnet 90 2 Übersetzungen; Übersetzungen: Italienisch #1, #2 Englisch . It's important to be aware that not every line of every one of Shakespeare's sonnets is written in pure iambic pentameter as is assumed by many a supposed authority. Certain lines contain trochees, spondees and possibly anapaests. The speaker then states that the young man will live forever in the lines of the poem, as long as it can be read. il sonetto 18 e' senza dubbio il piu' noto ed amato dei 154 che compongono il corpo dei sonetti di shakespeare. "Sonnet 18," in Shakespeare's Sonnets, (ed.) The word sonnet is derived from the Italian word “sonetto,” which means a “little song” or small lyric. His father, John Shakespeare, who was a general dealer in agricultural products and other commodities, was one of the chief citizens of the village. Shakespeare's Sonnets essays are academic essays for citation. By William Shakespeare. In the end, it is insinuated this very piece of poetry will keep the lover—the poem's subject—alive forever and allow them to defy even death. Get an answer for 'What metaphors and symbols are used in sonnet 18 by Shakespeare? Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? Writing and Memory . Sonnet 6 is part of the “Fair youth sequence” in William Shakespeare’s sonnets. Ma perché non trovi tu un modo più possente. Giosuè Carducci, poeta vincitore del Premio Nobel nel 1906, dedicò un sonetto a Cante Gabrielli. His poems are published online and in print. It just doesn't ring true. He then goes on to introduce the pros and cons of the weather, mentioning both an idyllic English summer's day and the less-welcome dim sun and rough winds of autumn. Try it and find out for yourself. It is highly sentimental and full of feeling. Shakespearean sonnets can be appreciated individually or as a collection. Sonnet 18 Form and Meter. Following 12 lines without any punctuated caesura (a pause or break in the delivery of the line), line 13 has a 6/4 caesura, and the last line a 4/6. El viento bate el capullito enano y el verano se pasa muy ligero. The theme of the ravages of Time is explored. The sonnet is possibly the most famous sonnet ever, and certainly one that has entered deeply into the consciousness of our culture.Here is the sonnet: Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? William Shakespeare And A Summary of Sonnet 18. Södertörns högskola. Künstler/in: William Shakespeare; Lied: Sonnet 130 17 Übersetzungen; Übersetzungen: Deutsch, Finnisch, Französisch, Hebräisch, Italienisch #1, #2, Rumänisch #1, #2, #3 8 weitere Englisch . Logga in Registrera; Göm. Shakespeare concludes his argument, in the final couplet, by saying that if the Fair Youth does not ‘store’ himself up by having a child, the Bard can foretell (or ‘prognosticate’) the death of truth and beauty, which will perish when the Fair Youth lets his family line die out. A A. Sonnet 90. Il musicista e cantante inglese Bryan Ferry ha musicato e cantato il Sonnet 18 di Shakespeare. As the sonnet progresses, lines three through eight concentrate on the ups and downs of the weather and are distanced, taken along on a steady iambic rhythm (except for line five as discussed later). Both summer and fair are used instead. The season seems all too short—that's as true today as it was in Shakespeare's time—and people tend to moan when it's too hot and grumble when it's overcast. The words and, nor and so long serve to repeat and reinforce the poem's ideas. I cannot read the opening line while sticking to the daDUM daDUM of the iambic pentameter beat. This places emphasis on the meaning and gives extra weight to the rough weather. Note the use of the verb shall and the different tones it brings to different lines. Vos sos más temperado y placentero. Let's take a look: Shall I / compare / thee to / a sum / mer's day? by Francis Turner Palgrave (1861). The theme of immortality through verse is explored. Historical Background . He wrote most of them as a young man. There is Generally, sonnets are divided into different groups based on the rhyme scheme they follow. Sonnet 18 is one of the best-known of the 154 sonnets written by the English playwright and poet William Shakespeare. The second line refers directly to the lover with the use of the second-person pronoun Thou, which is now archaic. Analyzing Sonnet 18. "Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade," Shakespeare writes. Line 1: "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? Random events can radically alter who we are, and we are all subject to time's effects. Form and Meter. The word beauty does not appear in this sonnet. William Shakespeare 2. And summer is far too short: At times the sun is too hot, Or often goes behind the clouds; … All of the end-of-line rhymes are full with the exception of temperate/date. Quando all’appello del silente pensiero. Shakespeare ends his sonnet with a couplet: “So true a fool is love that in your Will,/Though you do any thing, he thinks no ill.” This couplet sums up the rest of the poem very nicely. Sonnet 18 Shakespeare, close reading. Sonnet 18 Shall I compare thee to a Summer's day? Shakespeare and the Youth are in this together all right. This is a scan of the original title page of "Shakespeare's Sonnets" (1609). William Shakespeare, Sonetos & Lamento de una amante, traducción de Andrés Ehrenhaus, Editorial Paradiso, Buenos Aires, 2009 18 ¿Te comparo a un día de verano? Andrew has a keen interest in all aspects of poetry and writes extensively on the subject. Shakespeare's Sonnets essays are academic essays for citation. Take the first line for example: There's no doubting that this is a question, so the stress would normally fall on the first word, Shall. Shakespeare’s Sonnet 2: When Forty Winters Shall Besiege Thy Brow is interesting because it further expresses his desire for the subject of his poem to breed. Ordinarily, too hot would be at the end of the line. Summary In the earlier sonnets, the poet's main concern was to persuade the youth to marry and reproduce his beauty in the creation of a child. And every fair from fair sometime declines. When to the sessions of sweet silent thought. This comparison will not be straightforward. Analysis of Shakespeare's Sonnet 3 with explanatory notes. Here we have an interesting mix; the stress is still on the opening word in the first foot. Is it pure iambic pentameter? directory: home: contact: welcome: plays: sonnets: analysis: quotations: sources: biography: theatres: key dates: plots : faq: books: glossary: scholars: quiz: search : SONNET 18 Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? The line now comprises one trochee followed by four iambs. Shakespeare had used the word "slut" nearly a year before he wrote sonnet 55 when he wrote Timon of Athens. Sonnet 18 ppt 1. "Sonnet 18" focuses on the loveliness of a friend or lover, with the speaker initially asking a rhetorical question about comparing their subject to a summer's day. Sonnet 18. William Shakespeare, Sonetto 30 - Sonnet 30. O Soneto 18 está entre os mais famosos e conhecidos dos 154 sonetos de William Shakespeare.A maioria dos estudiosos concordam que o destinatário verdadeiro do poema, o amante do eu-lírico, a quem o poeta está escrevendo, é um homem, embora o poema é … Shakespeare’s sonnets were composed between 1593 and 1601, though not published until 1609. Note the metaphor (eye of heaven) for the sun and the inversion of the line grammatically. Again, in line five, an inversion occurs, with the opening trochee replacing the iamb: Sometimes too hot the eye of heaven shines. It has a specific rhyme scheme, and a Volta, or a specific turn. With the exception of a couple relatively strong first syllables (and even these are debatable), there are basically no deviations from the meter. Die Form ist dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass anders als beim Petrarca-Sonett, das die 14 Verse in zwei Quartette und zwei Terzette gruppiert (4-4-3-3), hier in drei Quartette und ein abschließendes Verspaar gegliedert wird (4-4-4-2). These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of various sonnets by William Shakespeare. "Sonnet 18," or "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?" Il musicista e cantante inglese David Gilmour, dei Pink Floyd, ha musicato e cantato il Sonnet 18 di Shakespeare. Among Elizabethans, sonnets were regarded as personal poems not intended for publication. By chance or nature’s changing course untrimm'd; Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st; Nor shall death brag thou wander’st in his shade. And summer’s lease hath all too short a date; Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines. But there is much more to this line than meets the eye, as you'll find out later in this analysis. Actually understand Shakespeare's Sonnets Sonnet 18. are certainly treated to a range of devices that create texture, music, and interest. Universitet. But there is much more to this line than meets the eye, as you'll find out later in the analysis. Thou art more … The speaker is suggesting that for most people, summer will pass all too quickly, and they will grow old, as is natural, their beauty fading with the passing of the season. Actually understand Shakespeare's Sonnets Sonnet 18. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of various sonnets by William Shakespeare. At first glance, the mood and tone of Shakespeare's Sonnet 18 is one of deep love and affection. Coral is far more red than her lips' red; If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun; If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head. And those final two lines, 13 and 14, are harmony itself. and find homework help for other Sonnet 18 questions at eNotes Like that pilgrim/saint tête-à-tête, this sonnet is set in a public musical celebration. William Shakespeare, Sonetto 16 - Sonnet 16. Each line has 10 syllables. Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? Take another look: Shall I / compare thee / to a sum / mer's day? You are more lovely and more delightful: Rough winds shake the much loved buds of May . With the partial exception of the Sonnets (1609), quarried since the early 19th century for autobiographical secrets allegedly encoded in them, the nondramatic writings … There are interesting combinations within each line that add to the texture and soundscape: Rough/buds, shake/May, hot/heaven, eye/shines, often/gold/complexion, fair from fair, sometimes/declines, chance/nature/changing, nature/course. Shakespeare - Sonetto 18 . While William Shakespeare’s reputation is based primarily on his plays, he became famous first as a poet. Of the 154 sonnets that Shakespeare wrote throughout his lifetime, 126 were written to a figure known as the Fair Youth. Note the spondee in line 11, this time in the middle of the line. Perhaps only someone of genius could claim to have such literary powers, strong enough to preserve the beauty of a lover beyond even death. a. So the first foot is no longer an iamb but a trochee—an inverted iamb. The poet here abandons his quest for the youth to have a … Zudem werden beim Petrarca-Sonett in den ersten acht Versen (dem Oktett-Teil) nur zwei Reime, im Shakespeare-Sonett dagegen vier Reime verwendet. BatyrAshirbayev98 via Wikimedia Commons; Canva. LT → Englisch → William Shakespeare → Sonnet 90 → Italienisch. The principal themes og his sonnets were love, time but also beauty, daeth and friendship. And summer's lease hath all too short a date: Legal terminology. In Sonnet 19, the poet addresses Time and, using vivid animal imagery, comments on Time's normal effects on nature. is perhaps the Bard's best-known poem. Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?Thou art more lovely and more temperate:Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,And summer’s lease hath all too short a date;Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,And often is his gold complexion dimm'd;And every fair from fair sometime declines,By chance or nature’s changing course untrimm'd;But thy eternal summer shall not fade,Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st;Nor shall death brag thou wander’st in his shade,When in eternal lines to time thou grow’st:So long as men can breathe or eyes can see, So long lives this, and this gives life to thee. di Viola89. Close reading of Shakespeare's Sonnet 18. A A. Sonnet 130. The themes of beauty and procreation are continued. Shall I compare you to a summer's day? Both scans are valid because of the flexible way in which English can be read and certain words only partially stressed. Read Shakespeare’s sonnet 18 ‘Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?’ with an explanation and modern English translation, plus a video performance.. Shakespeare's Sonnets essays are academic essays for citation. Katarina Börjeson Martins Sheila Ghose British Literature English B 2019 05 20 Shakespeare s Sonnet 18 William Shakespeare is known worldwide for his plays and. The second foot now comprises three syllables—non-stressed, stressed and non-stressed—making it an amphibrach. The sonnets were first published in 1609, seven years before the Bard's death, and their remarkable quality has kept them in the public eye ever since. (traduzione in Italiano) Artista: William Shakespeare Canzone: Sonnet 18 Shall I compare thee to a Summer's day? In the play, Timon associates the word "slut" with "whore" and venereal disease. Read every line of Shakespeare’s original text alongside a modern English translation. For more on the theme of fading beauty, please see Sonnet 116. Dirac was producing equations that had that kind of concision and you can then unpack them, just as you re-read a Shakespeare sonnet and see more and more in it, more and more elegance. Note the language of these lines: rough, shake, too short, Sometimes, too hot, often, dimmed, declines, chance, changing, untrimmed. Uno dei più noti dei sonetti di Shakespeare, il Sonetto 18 è memorabile per la presentazione abile e varia dell’argomento, in cui i sentimenti del poeta raggiungono un livello di estasi mai visto nei sonetti precedenti. Il sonetto 18 è il primo a dare una svolta alla tematica della raccolta dei Sonetti di Shakespeare, dato che lo troviamo dopo i primi 17 sonetti dedicati al matrimonio.Il tema centrale qui è il tempo, e l’auspicio e la ricerca dell’immortalità, espressi nei sonetti precedenti attraverso l’invito alla procreazione, li troviamo qui associati alla poesia. Nel direct-to-video Koda, fratello orso 2 è presente questo sonetto in … Their depth and range set Shakespeare apart from all other sonneteers. David Gilmour, dei Pink Floyd, ha musicato e cantato il Sonnet 18 di Shakespeare. A A. Sonnet 18 Shall I compare thee to a Summer's day? Un sonetto di Shakespeare è sia complesso che specificato». Sonnet 128 is comparable to the sonnet in Romeo and Juliet in which Romeo pleads for a first kiss. Pictured above is the full text of "Sonnet 18," or "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?". For more on how the sonnets are grouped, please see the general introduction to Shakespeare's sonnets. Shakespeare tells his lover that love has made him so foolish that there is nothing his lover can do to make him think ill of him or her. Shakespeare may have been well known in his lifetime, but he was also very good at keeping secrets. Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May. My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun. H. T. S. Frost said, "Six trifling pieces of little interest – literary or otherwise," referring to the other Dark Lady pieces and their often criticized language like Sonnet 128 and their ill placement with Shakespeare's other sonnets. Many biographers believe that Shakespeare was probably educated at the King’s New School in Stratford, a free school chartered in 1553, about a quarter-mile from his home. The humble comma sorts out the syntax, leaving everything in balance and giving life. William Shakespeare - Sonnet 18 Shall I compare thee to a Summer's day? Sonnet 18 is perhaps the best known of all sonnets. The speaker states with a renewed assurance that "thy eternal summer shall not fade" and that his lover shall stay fair and even cheat death and time by becoming eternal. The theme of immortality through verse is explored. Il confronto 1 Sonnets 18 and 130 In Shakespeare's sonnets 18 and 130 he referred to two women that he loved. A Shakespearean sonnet is both complex and specified. But Sonnet 35 stands up on its own, too, with its use of a legal conceit (‘adverse party’, ‘advocate’, ‘lawful plea’, ‘accessary’) and its suggestion that love can be messy and lead to us holding complex, contradictory feelings towards the one we love.