Sonnet 18

Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?

Thou art more lovely and more temperate:

Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,

And summer's lease hath all too short a date:

Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,

And often is his gold complexion dimm'd;

And every fair from fair sometime declines,

By chance, or nature's changing course untrimm'd;

But thy eternal summer shall not fade,

Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow'st;

Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade,

When in eternal lines to time thou grow'st:

So long as man can breath, or eyes can see,

So long lives this, and this gives life to thee

1. Why does the poet compare his beloved to a summer’s day?

The poet compares his beloved to a summer’s day because it is bright, sunny & the best season in the whole year.

1. Why is his beloved “more lovely” and “more temperate” than a summer’s day?

The poet’s beloved is more beautiful than a summer’s day because her perfect beauty does not change.

1. What does the phrase “darling buds” refer to?

“Darling buds’ refers to the tender/delicate buds that are waiting to blossom into flowers.

1. What will the rough winds do to the “darling buds”?

The rough winds blow strongly and the shake the tender buds.

1. Why is the summer season considered a “lease”?

Summer is considered a lease because it seems to be renting for only 3 months in a year.

1. Why does “summer’s lease” have “all too short a date”?

Summer only lasts for 3 months and it is too short to be experienced by the people.

1. What does the phrase “eternal summer” mean?

“Eternal summer” is a metaphor that refers to the everlasting beauty of the poet’s beloved.

1. What are the weaknesses of summer?

i)Summer is too short. It only lasts for 3 months.

ii) Summer is too hot when the sun shines too brightly.

iii) The weather is not exactly temperate as it is unpredictable.

iv)Sometimes the wind blows very strongly that it threats the lovely May flowering buds.

1. What are the strengths of “eternal summer”?

i) Summer season lasts forever.

ii) The beauty and joy of summer lasts forever.

1. Why does the poet describe the sun as the “eye of heaven”?

The sun is in the sky and as if it is looking at the earth from above.

1. Why is the “eye of heaven” itself not perfect?

Sometimes it shines too brightly that it makes people feel hot and uncomfortable.

1. What does “his gold complexion dimm’d” refer to?

Sunshine can sometimes be hidden by dark clouds.

1. What does line 11 mean : “Nor shall Death brag thou wand’rest in his shade”?

Death cannot boasts over the death of the poet’s beloved as it can only take her life away, not her beauty.

1. “When in eternal lines to time thou grows’t” (line 12). What does this line mean?

The beauty of the poet’s beloved remains captivating as the poet has written about it in this sonnet.

1. What does “this” in line 14 refer to?

The lines in the poem.