Sonnet 73: That time of year thou mayst in me behold
Sonnet 73: That time of year thou mayst in me beholdWilliam ShakespeareThat time of year thou mayst in me beholdWhen yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hangUpon those boughs which shake against the cold,Bare ruin'd choirs, where late the sweet birds sang.In me thou see'st the twilight of such dayAs after sunset fadeth in the west,Which by and by black night doth take away,Death's second self, that...
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Sonnet 73: That time of year thou mayst in me behold Themes
Old Age and Love: Old Age and Love is the central theme of “Sonnet 73.” In this poem, the poet tells his beloved that he is growing old. He uses three metaphors to describe this: autumn, twilight, and a dying fire. He compares himself to autumn, when the trees have lost most of their leaves and stand bare in the cold. This shows that his youth is gone. He is in his old age. Then, he compares himse...
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Sonnet 73: That time of year thou mayst in me behold Characters
The Speaker (Poet) – The speaker is talking in the poem. He is an old man who feels that he is near the end of his life. He compares himself to autumn, twilight, and a dying fire to show that his youth and strength are fading.
The Beloved (Listener) – This is the person the speaker is talking to. The beloved is younger and still full of life. The speaker tells this person that seeing his ol...
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Sonnet 73: That time of year thou mayst in me behold Summary
Sonnet 73: That time of year thou mayst in me behold Summary
Autumn: In this poem, the poet talks to his beloved. He says that when his beloved looks at him, it is like looking at the season of late autumn. Trees have only a few yellow leaves left, or sometimes no leaves at all. The bare branches shake in the cold wind. They look like the empty choirs of ruined churches, where birds once sa...
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Sonnet 73: That time of year thou mayst in me behold Literary Device
Figures of Speech
Metaphor
Definition: A Metaphor is a figure of speech that compares two different things by saying that one thing is the other (without using “like” or “as”). Example: “That time of year thou mayst in me behold
When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang”
Explanation: Here, the poet compares his old age to autumn, a season when leaves fall and trees become bare. He also compa...
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Sonnet 73: That time of year thou mayst in me behold Quotations
“That time of year thou mayst in me behold
When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang”
Explanation: Here, the poet is comparing himself with late autumn, when the tree leaves turn into yellow and fall down. It means he is in his old age.
“In me thou see'st the twilight of such day”
Explanation: The poet compares himself to twilight, when the light of the day fades in the west. Night comes. T...
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Notes (16)
- Sonnet 73: That time of year thou mayst in me behold Brief Questions
- Discuss Shakespeare’s treatment of time, ageing, and death in “Sonnet 73.”
- Analyze the use of imagery and symbolism in Shakespeare’s Sonnet 73.
- Shakespeare’s use of metaphors to describe the stages of human life in Sonnet 73
- Discuss Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 73” as a Sonnet.
- Write a critical appreciation of William Shakespeare’s Sonnet 73.
- That time of year thou mayst in me behold
- In me thou see'st the twilight of such day As after sunset fadeth in the west,
- In me thou see'st the glowing of such fire
- Discuss Shakespeare’s treatment of time, aging, and death in “Sonnet 73.”
- Write the summary of the Poem "Sonnet 73".
- Explain the Central Idea of Shakespeare's “Sonnet 73”.
- Figures of Speech in the Poem “Sonnet 73”.
- Write the Author’s Position and Attitude in “Sonnet 73”.
- What is the role of the beloved in the poem “Sonnet 73”?
- Discuss the various images drawn by Shakespeare in Sonnet 73.