Write a critical appreciation of William Shakespeare’s Sonnet 73.
PremiumWrite a critical appreciation of William Shakespeare’s Sonnet 73.
The Poet’s Old Age and Nearing Death: The poet describes three images from nature to show his old age and death. First, he compares himself to the season of late autumn. He says, autumn is the time—
“When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang.” Shakespeare continues the idea with the image of twilight. He says his beloved will see twilight in him.
“In me thou see’st the twilight…” The third one is another image of nearing death. He compares himself to a fire that is almost finished. He says his beloved will see a dying fire in him—
“That on the ashes of his youth doth lie.” Love Becomes Stronger: The finest part of the poem is the final message in the couplet. The poet says that when the beloved sees him growing old, the beloved’s love becomes stronger. He writes,
“This thou perceiv’st, which makes thy love more strong.” Form, Meter, Rhyme Scheme: “Sonnet 73” is a Shakespearean sonnet. It has 14 lines. These 14 lines are divided into three quatrains (each of four lines) and one final couplet (two lines). The rhyme scheme is ABAB CDCD EFEF GG. The poem is written in iambic pentameter. It means each line has ten syllables; one unstressed syllable followed by one stressed. The structure of the poem helps the ideas grow slowly. Each quatrain shows a new image of aging. The final couplet brings the message of love. Images and Metaphors: Shakespeare uses images from nature to develop his idea. The autumn tree shows the loss of youth. The twilight sky shows life fading. The dying fire shows life coming to an end. These metaphors are simple but very emotional. They show that the poet is calm and thoughtful about his old age. The nature images make the poem memorable and special. Tone and Language: The tone of the poem is thoughtful, somber (sad), calm, and loving. The poet thinks about his old age and death, but also about the deepening of love. Even when he talks about death, the tone is calm. The language is full of peace and acceptance. In fine, Shakespeare gives a beautiful picture of aging and love in “Sonnet 73.” The structure and soft language make the poem easy to understand. Through this sonnet, Shakespeare teaches us that life is short, but love can grow stronger because of this truth.
Autumn is the time when the leaves of trees turn yellow and fall. The empty branches shake in the cold. This image shows that the poet is in his old age. Just like a tree that has lost most of its leaves, the poet has lost his youth and strength.
Twilight is the time just after sunset. A little light still remains. Night (death) will come soon. This image symbolizes that the poet’s life is coming to an end. Death will come soon.
The fire represents the poet’s life. The fire will go out at any time. This means the poet is in the last stage of his life. He will die soon.
This means that the awareness of death makes love more deep and precious. When we know that time is short, we value relationships more.