Nature Symbolism in Sonnet 18

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Introduction

Shakespearean sonnets extensively use nature as special symbols for various reasons, one being the allegory of the passage of time. Nature is also used to symbolize the natural beauty and show the importance of harmony between nature and humanity. This essay evaluates Shakespeare’s 18th sonnet on the basis of how nature symbolism is used and how this impacts thematic development of sonnet 18. In sonnet 18, Shakespeare draws a comparison between his love and a summer’s day. On another hand, it is possible 5to see that the writer of the sonnet is not just fixated with the fleeting transience of life and death just as summer symbolizes life and liveliness but seems to conclude that he has discovered a perfect time machine that has the capacity of making these beautiful attributes last forever (Bloom & Foster, 2008). That time machine is poetry and this is e evident from the last closing line where he says

“So long lives this and this gives life to thee” – (14)

Imagery and Nature Symbolism in Sonnet 18

As the poem opens, the reader or listener is taken through a metaphoric comparison of the woman’s beauty to the best attributes of a summer’s day. Sumner has many characteristics that can be associated with it and these include warmth, having great fun in the fields, relaxing or witnessing sunshine. This is actually the exact reverse of winter characterized by freezing temperatures and bleak atmosphere (Bloom & Foster, 2008). This symbolism shines bright as a source of optimism and therefore by Shakespeare bringing the comparison of nature to the beauty of the woman he loves, we associate that beauty with the brightness just as we associate the summer day with optimism. Thus, the poem begins by posing the question:

“Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?” (1)

He answers this question in the second line by adding that the woman’s beauty is even more lovely and temperate than that summer day. However, given that this poem is directed to the woman Shakespeare, the transition it has that directly connects and relates to nature b rings in the concept of time and transformation of seasons. For instance considering the following line:

“Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May” (3)

It evidently brings out the volatility nature visits on the natural beauty before summer creeps in albeit immediately after the strong winds that cause havoc on flowering trees. This is a cause to worry for the writer as he adds that while summer arrives, it is also very short and therefore the good attributes can only be enjoyed for a short while they last (Bloom & Foster, 2008). The fact that the summer day may also be too short and sometimes the conditions are not that predictable makes it a cause to worry. Further is the fact that even though undesirable, every beautiful thing will at one time eventually fade away as the writer demonstrates in line seven:

“And every fair from fair sometime declines”

The writer notes that the said changes either happen through the intervention of natural cycles or by accident. The writer juxtaposes all the noted demerits of summer day with the beauty of the woman and notes that her beauty shall not fade away. Why shall it not fade away when the writer has already noted and in formed us that everything beautiful fades away either through the intervention of natural cycles of nature or via unpredictable accidents? The answer to this question lies in the last line where Shakespeare discovers that the beauty of the woman can be relived through poetry through which it stands to live on forever via the composed poem. The condition for this to live on is that as long as there is human life on the planet earth, the beauty of the woman shall not decline.

The sonnet brings in a transformation to show that summer has its demerits. For instance, some summer days are extremely hot and this means the heat could be unbearable (Education Portal, 2014). Moreover, summer days can still be very fickle and cloudy than expected and as it might be already evident this would represent dullness that is undesirable since we expect summer days to be warm and assuring not very hot and menacing or fickle and demoralizing.

In conclusion, Shakespeare employs symbolism to juxtapose the attributes of the summer day with those of the beautiful woman he loves and he achieves this through personification for instance he assigns an eye to the sun and even a complexion like attributes of human. He starts by using nature’s transformation and the fact that seasons transform and there is none that lasts forever to justify the claim and fact that everyone (including the beautiful ones) fade away. This strengthens the power in the machine that will make the woman’s beauty live forever: the poem.

References

Bloom, H., & Foster, B. (2008). The sonnets (1st ed.). New York: Bloom’s Literary Criticism.

Education Portal, (2014). Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18: Summary, Theme & Analysis | Education Portal. Retrieved 6 May 2014, from http://education-portal.com/academy/lesson/shakespeares-sonnet-18-summary-theme-analysis.html#lesson