Please help me I'm not doing homework but research on Shakespeare's sonnet
Shall I Compare Thee To a Summer's day? Why does Shakespeare refute his claim?
I'm not sure what "claim" you're referring to, but here are some places where you can research S's sonnets:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shakespeare's_sonnets
Read the whole article, including the 2nd paragraph, carefully. Also check out all the External Links at the bottom of this webpage.
http://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/shakesonnets/section1.html
and
http://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/shakesonnets/section3.rhtml
http://www.ipl.org/div/litcrit/bin/litcrit.out.pl?au=sha-9
Many articles in here to read.
I read all the articles and I still don't fully understand.
I don't either because I don't know what "claim" of Shakespeare's you're referring to.
The question on my research paper asks "What does Shakespeare then say he refutes the claim?"
Shakespeare asks the title question, and then describes summer as ephemeral and less than ideal. Near the end, he states that the object of the poem is perfect.
"So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
So long lives this and this gives life to thee."
http://www.william-shakespeare.info/william-shakespeare-sonnet-18.htm
2.In Shakespeare’s day, poets often made extravagant claims about the person they loved. What extravagant claim is made at the start of this poem?
To understand why Shakespeare refutes his claim in Sonnet 18, "Shall I Compare Thee To a Summer's day?", we need to analyze the sonnet itself. Here's a breakdown of the sonnet and an explanation of why Shakespeare contradicts his initial comparison:
1. The sonnet begins with the question, "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?", suggesting that the speaker is contemplating whether to compare the subject of the sonnet to a beautiful summer's day.
2. In the following lines (2-9), Shakespeare describes the flaws and imperfections of a typical summer day. He explains how the weather can change, how summer is fleeting, and how beauty can diminish over time. Such flaws contrast with the eternal beauty of the person he is addressing in the sonnet.
3. However, in the couplet (the final two lines), Shakespeare introduces a twist. He claims that the beauty of the person he is addressing will not fade, unlike the transient nature of a summer's day. He states, "So long as men can breathe or eyes can see, So long lives this, and this gives life to thee." Here, Shakespeare refutes his initial comparison by stating that the subject's beauty will defy the limitations of time and endure forever in the minds and words of others.
In conclusion, Shakespeare refutes his initial claim of comparing the subject to a summer's day by highlighting the flaws and transience of a summer's day, while asserting that the beauty of the person he addresses will persist and be immortalized through his poetic lines. The sonnet ultimately argues that true beauty surpasses the passing glory of nature.