About The Shakespearean Sonnets: Love, Sonnet 116, Sonnet 18 And Interpretations

As bards go, perhaps none is more renowned than Shakespeare, a literary renaissance man who composed works of tragedy, comedy, history, and love. Acclaim for his plays is unprecedented, as they have been translated into hundreds of languages worldwide, resounding with many regardless of time, culture, or language. His notoriety is bequeathed by such works as "Romeo and Juliet" and "Othello," yet not many are versed in the Shakespearean Sonnets. Like many that proceeded him, the Shakespearean Sonnets address the topic of love, and though the theme may seem tired and overstated, Shakespeare set the bar for eloquent poetry concerning the subject.

Though the Shakespearean Sonnets have been overshadowed by the man's plays, two have permeated the fabric of time to surface in present day references through film and prose. Sonnet 116 and Sonnet 18 are perhaps the most quoted of the Shakespearean Sonnets, most notable the opening line to Sonnet 18, "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?"

As is typical of many Shakespearean Sonnets, earth imagery personifies the characters' desires and intentions. For the loved one addressed in the Shakespearean Sonnet 18, "his love is, …more lovely and more temperant (2) than the fleeting days of summer which is, often is his gold complexion dimm'd (6)." Shakespeare proclaims that his love's beauty does not fade like the changing seasons, but rather perseveres through the seasons of Spring (youth), Summer (middle age), Autumn (old age), and Winter (death). Like the beauty of his love, Shakespeare's love will not whither and become tarnished, and "So long as men can breathe or eyes can see, (13)" he will adore his lady.

Besides romanticized adoration for a lover, the Shakespearean Sonnets take a philosophical approach to the idea of true love. In the Shakespearean Sonnet 116, he acknowledges that the strong emotions of new love can be fleeting and that true love," …alters not with his brief hours and weeks, / but bears it out even to the edge of doom. (11-12)." In the bard's mind love cannot be proved by convenience, but rather by inconvenient situations "Love is not love / which alters when it alteration finds, or bends with the remover to remove (2-4)." This Shakespearean Sonnet proclaims that love is not easy-come-easy-go, but an ongoing effort of adaptability and steadfastness. True love perseveres the turmoil of time, as an "ever-fixed mark (5)" that does not move or give up in the most trying of times. A litmus test of love, in the world of Shakespearean Sonnets, is emerging from the depths of hell while holding the hand of a loved one.

The interpretation of Shakespearean Sonnets reveals that love encompasses both the ethereal and dedicated. The Shakespearean Sonnets 116 and 18 are polar views of love, one immersed in intoxicating elixir of new love, the other as wisdom gained through the experience of a lifetime of love. By combining pragmatism with innocence, the Shakespearean Sonnets offer a greater truth to the nature of love; it is both passionate and patient. In the eyes of the Shakespearean Sonnets, the interpretation of love encompasses both desire and perseverance through the terrific and troubled times.


Sources:
Shakespeare, William. "Sonnet 18." Shakespeare's Sonnets. May 2004. Oxqurry Books Ltd. 14 August 2007. http://www.shakespeares-sonnets.com/sonn01.htm#anc hor018

Shakespeare, William. "Sonnet 116." Shakespeare-Online. 28 July 2003. Amanda Mabillard. 14 August 2007. http://www.shakespeare-online.com/sonnets/116.html