Shakespeare: Sonnet 18 – A Reading and Analysis

Shakespeare Sonnet 18 "Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer's Day?" Reading and analysis

A line-by-line analysis of Shakespeare's most famous sonnet, revealing how what appears to be a simple love poem is actually a bold claim about the immortalizing power of poetry. This ...close reading builds to the poem's central mystery: what are the "eternal lines," and what is "this" that gives life forever?

Working through the sonnet step by step, I examine the comparison between the beloved and a summer's day, the list of everything wrong with summer (too short, too hot, too cloudy), and then the dramatic shift to the beloved's eternal beauty. The analysis shows how Shakespeare wasn't being modest - he genuinely believed this poem would be read "so long as men can breathe or eyes can see."

What's covered:

The structure of comparison and contrast
Understanding Shakespeare's language and imagery
The puzzle: why will the beloved never die?
The answer: art versus nature, poetry versus mortality
Shakespeare's confidence in his own immortal verse

Who it's for:

For students studying Shakespeare's sonnets, GCSE/A-Level literature courses, or anyone who wants to understand how this famous first line leads to a profound statement about poetry and immortality.

Related video: Shakespeare goes reggae. This one's a must-see! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hoRi3PYELw

0:00 Intro
0:15 Line 1: A comparison: "Thee" and "a summer's day"
0:36 Line 2: The positive side of the comparison: "Thou art more lovely"
0:52 Lines 3-8: A list
1:18 The purpose of the list
1: 47 Examples from the list: "rough winds", "too short", "too hot"
2:49 Lines 9-14: A contrast
3:20 The poet shifts his focus onto the person addressed in the poem
3:30 That person's beauty will not fade. But why not?
3:45 Why will that person never die?
3:59 What are the "eternal lines"?
4:21 What is "this" that "gives life to thee"?
4:51 The answer
5:11 The real contrast in the poem

The key to understanding Sonnet 18, perhaps the most famous of Shakespeare's sonnets.
View on website: https://educationalhub.org/anosensei/sonnet18

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