Shakespeare's Sonnet 16-Time Essay

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Recommended: Literary devices used in sonnet 18

The Precious Gift of Life Revealed in Sonnet 16



Throughout literature authors attempt to control the passage of time through their works. In William Shakespeare's "Sonnet 16" he addresses this subject through the use of literary devices. These devices indicate how the progress of seasons cannot be controlled by words alone. The passing of time is displayed through paradox and imagery, but it is overcome by the ceaseless life of progeny, unlike the feeble words of Shakespeare's sonnet.



Change and age help determine time. Shakespeare uses paradox to help convey change and relate it to the past. He says to "fortify yourself in your decay," (3) which tells the reader that a stronger being and a stronger state of …show more content…

The reader can truly believe Shakespeare loves the woman is he writing to because he wants her soul to live on forever. The passage of time must be overcome for the reader's soul to live on to surpass time itself. Though he has tried to make her immortal through verse, his poetry cannot compare to the gift of

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