Sonnet 18 by William Shakespeare

1. Sonnet 18
William
Shakespeare
•Compiled by Kyra Achmad

2. Content:
• Background on William Shakespeare?
• Importance of Poetic Devices
• Analysis of Sonnet 18
• Reference List

3. Background on William
Shakespeare
• Born: 23rd April 1564 (Stratford-upon-Avon, England)
• Died: 23rd April 1616
• He married Anne Hathaway in November 1582.
• They had three children Susanna, Hamnet & Judith(twins).
• “After the birth of the twins, there are seven years of William Shakespeare’s
life where no records exist” (period is called “lost years”) (Zere, 2016).
• William Shakespeare was a renowned English poet, actor and playwright.
• Shakespeare had written at least 38 plays and at least 150 poems, both long
and short.
• Shakespeare was the most influential writer of the English language.
• “Shakespeare wrote plays that capture the complete range of human emotion
and conflict” (Zere, 2016).

5. Poetry
Poetic devices are important
in analysing and
understanding poems.
“Understanding elements and
devices of poetry will help you
better comprehend the
meanings of poems”
(Taliaferro, 2013).
Poetry usually uses
figurative language.

7. What is a
sonnet?
• Sonnet- “A poem of 14 lines dealing
with an emotion, a feeling, or an idea”
(Partol, 2018).

9. Analysis of
Sonnet 18
• Structure of the poem
A typical Shakespearean sonnet.
14 lines.
3 quatrains and couplet.
• Rhyme scheme
ABAB CDCD EFEF GG

10. Analysis of Sonnet 18
• Summary: “ This poem is about the comparison between the persona and
the summer. The poet stresses that the persona is more beautiful than the
summer as the summer has a lot of imperfections” (Latif, 2013)
• Meaning that the ‘lover’ is compared to a summers day.
• Quatrain 1: Beloved compared to a summers day. Beloved is better than a
summers day. Summer ends but his love for her and her beauty is endless.
• Quatrain 2: Compares lovers changing seasons to lovers beauty that does
not change.

11. Analysis continued
• Quatrain 3: His lovers beauty will never fade and his love is everlasting.
• Couplet: Professes his undying and eternal love for his lover.
• Metaphor: Line 5

12. References:
Grigoryeva, Y. (2014). Sonnet 18: Shall I compare thee to a Summer’s Day? [Powerpoint Presentation].
Available from Slideshare at https://www.slideshare.net/gyg66/sonnet-18-school-contest-
2014?qid=76091081-fb17-4e41-9c2b-703c6c2e130e&v=&b=&from_search=7 (Accessed: 21 August 2022).
Latif, A.M. (2013). Semantics: Analysis of Poems [Powerpoint Presentation]. Available from Slideshare at
https://www.slideshare.net/MunirahAbdLatif/analyzing-poem-sonnet-18?qid=cfaa10fa-800d-48db-bcf7-
21a5864cc966&v=&b=&from_search=6 (Accessed: 21 August 2022).
Partol, F. (2018). Poetry [Powerpoint Presentation]. Available from Slideshare at
https://www.slideshare.net/farrahpartol/poetry-90164412?qid=6527cd00-43c3-4d8b-a839-
4c66db94c06f&v=&b=&from_search=11 (Accessed: 21 August 2022).

13. References continued:
Taliaferro, S. (2013). Poetic devices [Powerpoint Presentation]. Available from Slideshare at
https://www.slideshare.net/taliafs/poetic-devices-15965037?qid=0c3329fa-ce6d-485b-be9e-
be24f393bb77&v=&b=&from_search=2 (Accessed: 21 August 2022).
Zere, F. (2016). Who is William Shakespeare? [Powerpoint Presentation]. Available from Slideshare at
https://www.slideshare.net/Fjorelo/who-is-william-shakespeare?qid=8f5eed21-46be-43b6-8547-
89d8f45419b3&v=&b=&from_search=8 (Accessed: 21 August 2022).

14. References for images:
Cincinlover19. (2022). Poetic Devices Quiz: Trivia Questions! Accessed: 21 August 2022,
https://www.proprofs.com/quiz-school/story.php?title=poetic-devices_3
Folger Shakespeare Library. (n.d.). Shakespeare FAQ. Accessed: 21 August 2022,
https://www.folger.edu/shakespeare-faq
Poem Analysis. (n.d.). Sonnet 18 by William Shakespeare. Accessed: 21 August 2022,
https://poemanalysis.com/william-shakespeare/shall-i-compare-thee-to-a-summers-day/
Wikipedia. (2022). William Shakespeare. Accessed: 21 August 2022,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Shakespeare