Sonnet 18: Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer's Day

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What do You Come to Know about the Poet’s Friend from the Poem?

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What do you come to know about the poet’s friend from the poem?

In Sonnet 18 (1609), William Shakespeare (1564-1616) talks about a dear friend. The poet compares his friend to a summer's day. This shows how special and beautiful the friend is. The poem reveals deep feelings about the friend’s beauty and how it will never fade, even with time.

The Friend is Very Beautiful: Shakespeare says the friend’s beauty is better than a summer's day. While summer can be too hot or windy, the friend’s beauty is always perfect. The friend is described as more lovely and more gentle than the season of summer. Shakespeare says,

Thou art more lovely and more temperate:

The Friend’s Beauty Will Never Fade: Unlike the short life of a summer's day, the friend’s beauty will never change or disappear. Shakespeare believes that the friend’s beauty is eternal, not affected by time
or death. This suggests the friend has a lasting and unchanging beauty.

The Friend Will Be Immortalized in Poetry: Shakespeare promises that the friend’s beauty will live forever in the poem. The poet believes that as long as people read the poem, the friend will never be forgotten. This shows how important poetry is in keeping memories alive. Shakespeare says,

So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,

So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

In this sonnet, we learn that the poet's friend is not only beautiful but also timeless. Through this poem, Shakespeare gives the friend a kind of immortality. This makes sure their beauty is remembered for generations.

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