SONNET 18

What is the main theme of Sonnet 18?

love

According to the poet, a summers day is _______________________

hot and short

Why does the poet compare his beloved to a summers day?

A summers day is beautiful/lovely

What does eye of heaven refer to?

sun

What will cause the fair in line 7 to decline?

chance/natures changing course

What does summer symbolize in the poem?

beauty

Why is his beloved more lovely and more temperate than a summers day?

A summers day is too short and sometimes too hot.

What does darling buds refer to?

delicate buds

Why is summer considered a lease?

It is short last for only about three months.

What are the weaknesses of summer?

too hot or too short

What are the strengths of eternal summer?

It is not subjected by weather conditions, untouched by passing of time and its beauty is everlasting.

Quote the line from the poem that tells us that beauty can fade.

And every fair from fair sometimes decline.

What does this in line 14 refer to?

the sonnet

Who is the poet addressing in this poem?

his beloved

Do you think the poets beloved is young or old? Give ONE reason.

Young because summer is a season of youthfulness and freshness

What does more temperate in line 2 mean?

More perfect and balanced in harmony and beauty.

What will the rough winds do to the darling buds of May (line 3)?

shake off the young flowers or buds.

Why is his gold complexion often dimmed?

block by the clouds

What will cause the fair to decline (line 7)?

chance/natures changing course

According to the poet, why will human beauty fade?

Human beings will grow old and eventually die.

What is natures changing course (line 8)?

The changes that happen to us as we grow older.

What is deaths shade (line 11)?

The dark shadow of death

What does eternal summer in line 9 refer to?

The beloveds beauty and youthfulness.

Why is death so boastful?

Everyone has to die one day.

How will the poet make the beloveds beauty last forever?

by penning the poem, Sonnet 18.

What is the message the poem is trying to convey?

Although everyone will die one day, the poets beloved will live forever through the sonnet.

What are lines 1 and 2 about?

They are about the poet talking to his beloved and asking if he should compare her to a summers day.

Do you think the poet is being objective or is he exaggerating a little? Give a reason.

He is exaggerating to emphasize the beauty of his beloved.

What is the feeling in the first stanza?

Praising his beloved

Why do you think the beloved does not seem to have any flaws or weaknesses?

The poet wants to show that his beloved is perfect.

Why does the poet describe the sun as the eye of heaven?

can see the whole world

Why is the eye of heaven itself not perfect?

It is sometimes dim or hot

What does his gold complexion dimmed refer to?

It refers to the clouds covering the sun.

What weaknesses are further suggested in lines 5 and 6 about summer?

sometimes too hot or dimmed

How does his beloved compare to these weaknesses?

His beloved is far more superior

What does the poet say will happen to beautiful things?

fade away or die

Do you think the beauty of nature will last forever?

No, because it will fade.

38.What does untrimmed mean?

It means unchecked. Nothing can stop time from passing or old age from catching up.

Why does the poet begin the third quatrain with But?

He wants to signal a change or development in thought.

According to the poet, what does the beloved have that summer does not have?

everlasting beauty

What does Nor shall death brag thou wandrest in his shade (line 11) mean?

Death cannot claim his beloved.

What does shade mean?

shadow or grave

What does When in eternal lines to time thou growst in line 12 mean?

One grows older with the passing of time.

How can the beloveds beauty be eternal when the beloved, too, will grow old one day?

By putting it in words.

What TWO things does eternal lines in line 12 refer to?

i.Everyone will grow old one dayii.The poets sonnet

Who does men refer to?

all men

What does eyes can see refer to?

People who read the sonnet

Why does the poet repeat the word this in the last line?

To emphasize the power of his sonnet

So long as men can breathe (line13) means ______________________

as long as there are people

What do the last two lines (line 13 and 14) mean?

As long as people read the poem, they will remember his beloveds beauty.