s beauty is gentler unlike a summer day Summer days can be unpredictable but his friend's beauty is steady and pleasant Summer's Temporary Beauty Shakespeare notes that a summer day is beautiful but its beauty doesn t last long He writes And summer s lease hath all too short a date This line means that summer is only here for a short time Just as the seasons change summer and its beauty will fade It also emphasizes that the natural world is temporary In contrast Shakespeare believes that his friend s beauty can be eternal It will last far beyond the end of summer Beauty That Never Fades Shakespeare expresses his faith in his friend s eternal beauty in this sonnet He says Thy eternal summer shall not fade It means his friend s beauty will never disappear By calling it an eternal summer Shakespeare suggests that his friend s beauty is immune to the effects of aging This unique and everlasting quality makes his friend s beauty far greater than anything in nature Victory Over Death Shakespeare further claims that death cannot take away his friend s beauty He writes Nor shall Death brag thou wander st in his shade These words mean that Death won t be able to boast about taking his friend Here shade refers to the shadow of death Shakespeare says his friend won t be lost to death as long as this poem exists His friend s beauty preserved in poetry will remain untouched by death Eternal Life Through Poetry In the final lines Shakespeare boldly states the power of poetry itself He writes So long as men can breathe or eyes can see So long lives this and this gives life to thee This quote means that his friend's beauty will live on as long as people are alive to read this poem This is a promise of eternal life through verse Shakespeare shows strong confidence in poetry s power to keep his friend s memory alive forever In conclusion Shakespeare s admiration and affection for his friend are evident in this poem By contrasting Summer s flaws with his friend s flawless beauty he highlights how unique his friend s charm is Shakespeare praises his friend s beauty and trusts in his poetry s power to preserve it Through this sonnet he imagines a future where readers remember his words and his friend s beauty In this way the poem and his friend achieve immortality Each depends on the other to live on through generations