sonnet 18

“Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day?” William Shakespeare (1564-1616), English poet and playwright, recognized in much of the world as the greatest of all dramatists, is perhaps the most famous writer in the history of English literature. By writing plays, Shakespeare earned recognition from his late 16th and early 17th century contemporaries, but he may have looked to poetry for enduring fame. His poetic achievements include a series of 154 sonnets. Many of the sonnets he wrote contain lines as well known as any in his plays. One of the perennial themes of Western literature—the brevity of life—is given poignantly personal and highly original expression in many of these poems. Shakespeare’s sonnets are arranged with three quatrains (4 lines) and a couplet (2 lines). This development was sufficiently original for the form to become known as the Shakespearean sonnet, which employs a rhyme scheme of abab cdcd efef gg. The poet is challenged to express his profound emotion...