Shall I Compare Thee

Essay by PaperNerd ContributorHigh School, 12th grade May 2001

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Shall I Compare Thee... Explication In this poem by William Shakespeare, he seems to both sing the praise of the woman, praise his writing, and to also say what is wrong with his woman. The first two lines of the poem praise and celebrate his love. After he compares her to a summer, the next six lines go on to explain why she falls short of the metaphor of summer, such as lines "Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, And summer's lease hath all too short a date." After William tells of why summer falls short of his beloved, he goes on to tell of why his beloved does not meet his standards. He tells how the summer will not ever die, and the summer will always be back, this is contrary to his lady. In his final three lines William says "When in eternal lines to time though growest: So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see, so long lives this, and this gives life to thee."

He is saying that his beloved's beauty may fade, and she may die, but in his poem she will live on forever.