The Immortal Work of the Poet as Seen in Shakespeare's Sonnet 55

The Immortal Work of the Poet as Seen in Shakespeare's Sonnet 55

Since the beginning of recorded time, humanity has attempted to give immortality through art. Great people have attempted to have themselves remembered through statues and other means. The poet too, has attempted the same feat. Capturing within his or her lines the essence and emotion of someone whom he or she loved. During the Renaissance, the sonnet was the poetic form of choice. The sonnet is only fourteen lines in length and generally had ten syllables per line. It was in this form that poets wrote some of the greatest love poems. The poet, especially of the Renaissance, saw poetry as the greatest of all art forms and therefore the most immortal. In Shakespeare's "Sonnet 55" he pits the art of the sculptor with the immortal work of the poet.

The poem begins by giving the reader two striking images. These images are "marble and gilded monuments." Immediately Shakespeare puts an idea into the readers mind. These images imply strength, something solid and sturdy, power, largeness, prestige and wealth. One can easily see the large statues covered in gold and precious metals. The time, care, and hard work the artist used to fashion his work of art is easily pictured. The next line then confirms these meaning by informing the reader that these monuments Shakespeare is writing about are to commemorate princes.

Once Shakespeare establishes the association of power and strength to the work of the sculptor he immediately smashes this notion. These things, he writes, "shall [not] outlive this powerful rhyme" (2). The poem has now created a tension between the idea that monuments imply power and the power of the poets' verse. Shakespeare now is going to ex...

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The poem's form and rhythm is quite important to the theme. In line two Shakespeare talks of his powerful rhyme. The poem's rhythm is iambic pentameter, which is the natural rhythm of the English language. The power is this verse comes from the way in which it flows so simply over the tongue. When spoken aloud, the poem has a cadence that is easy to remember and quite soothing. The length of the poem is another of its strengths. The condensed nature of the sonnet helps to create a strong emotional impact upon the reader. This makes the poem quite easy to remember and in a sense allowing it never to be forgotten.

Shakespeare's sonnet is a beautiful mixture of rhythm and imagery. He has fashioned a wonderful poem that explores the artist's ability to immortalize a person. In the end, it is the poet and the poet's verse that will live until the end of time.