William Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 18” Revisited

Abstract

Shakespeare’s sonnet 18 is world-famous and considered as one of the most meaningful sonnets in literature, however, until this day many do not agree on its actual meaning. It is well known that Shakespeare is one of the best poets of the sixteenth century. There was even a style of sonnet named after him- the “Shakespearean sonnet”. This study will provide information and different outlooks on Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 18”, the 16 th century and the changes that have led to the literature of that time. This will be done by stating the aims and research problems in chapter one. Then, more information will be given about England in the 16 th century, the English literature of that time, and we will then go further in depth about the Shakespearean sonnet. Then, we will provide a literature review and explain more about Shakespeare’s “sonnet 18”. The aim of this research is to provide the meaning of Shakespeare’s “sonnet 18” and prove that Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 18” is a structure that goes deep in meaning. It has an idea of wholeness, is transformative and has the idea of self-regulation. We will do this by stating the rhyme pattern of the sonnet together with the figurative language used. Before all that, information must be given about the 16 th century in order to fully understand the sonnet. This study attempts to answer these questions: how is the rhythmic pattern found in William’s Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18 ? And what kind of figurative language is used in William’s Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18 ?