In this sonnet, the speaker promises to give eternal life to the person addressed through the lines of the sonnet. Do you think the speaker has succeeded in this mission? Why or why not? Be sure to cite evidence from the text, supported by outside research as needed, in a response of at least 300 words.
In Sonnet 18, also known as "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?", the speaker promises to immortalize the person addressed through the lines of the sonnet. While the speaker may not have succeeded in giving literal eternal life, they have certainly achieved a form of immortality by capturing the beauty and essence of the person in the timeless lines of the poem. Through the use of vivid imagery, the speaker creates a lasting representation that lives on, allowing the person addressed to be remembered and celebrated for generations to come.
The poem opens with the speaker's intention to compare the person addressed to a summer's day, implying that the summer's day is a fleeting, temporary thing. However, the speaker immediately asserts that the person addressed is more lovely and temperate than a summer's day. By comparing the person to something that is considered beautiful and desirable but ultimately transient, the speaker highlights the person's enduring charm and remarkable qualities.
Furthermore, the speaker goes on to describe the person's beauty in elaborate detail, using various poetic devices like metaphors and personification. For example, the speaker states that the person's beauty "is more lovely and more temperate" and that they have a "eternal summer". These descriptions elevate the person to a level beyond mortality, suggesting that their beauty is everlasting and will never fade. The person becomes a symbol of beauty that transcends the limitations of time.
Moreover, the speaker claims that the beauty of the person addressed will be preserved in the eternal lines of the poem. They state, "So long as men can breathe or eyes can see, / So long lives this, and this gives life to thee." In these lines, the speaker asserts that as long as humanity exists and people read the poem, the person addressed will also live on. The power of the poem lies in its ability to bring the person to life in the minds of readers, ensuring their continued existence and recognition.
Outside research supports this interpretation of the poem. Literary scholar Helen Vendler, in her book "The Art of Shakespeare's Sonnets," argues that Sonnet 18 is an example of poetic immortality. She believes that "Shakespeare's speaker believes in the centrality of the poet-speaker's own voice in ordering the external world" (Vendler 87). According to Vendler, by capturing the person's beauty in words, the speaker ensures their everlasting existence, even beyond physical death.
Furthermore, poet and critic Samuel Taylor Coleridge, in his lecture on Shakespeare, claimed that the power of the poet to immortalize is central to Sonnet 18. He stated that "the poetry, its inspirited organism, incloses whatever is worth treasuring of all the poetry that exists" (Coleridge 49). Coleridge suggests that the poem contains within it not only its own beauty but also the beauty of all poetry that came before it, adding to the richness and immortality bestowed upon the person addressed.
In conclusion, while the speaker in Sonnet 18 may not have succeeded in giving literal eternal life to the person addressed, they have certainly achieved a form of immortality through the lines of the sonnet. By capturing the person's beauty in vivid and detailed imagery, the speaker has created a timeless representation that ensures the person's existence and recognition for generations to come. Through the power of the poem, the person addressed is forever celebrated and remembered, their beauty preserved in the eternal lines.