Sonnet 65 by William Shakespeare Summary
In this sonnet, the speaker laments the power of time to destroy all things, even the most enduring. He begins by listing all the things that time can conquer: brass, stone, earth, and even the boundless sea. These are all symbols of strength and permanence, but they are all powerless against the relentless march of time.
The speaker then turns his attention to the fleeting nature of beauty. He asks how beauty can resist the “wrackful siege of battering days” when even the strongest rocks and gates cannot withstand the ravages of time. Beauty, he argues, is like a flower, delicate and easily destroyed.
The speaker is filled with despair at the realization that time is invincible. He asks where time’s “best jewel” can be hidden from time’s “swift foot.” He also asks who can stop time from stealing beauty away.
The speaker concludes the sonnet by offering a glimmer of hope. He suggests that the only way to preserve beauty is to immortalize it in poetry. He believes that his love for the young man can be preserved in “black ink,” and that his poem will shine brightly long after the young man’s beauty has faded.
Themes
The power of time
The fleeting nature of beauty
The immortality of poetry
Literary Devices
Metaphor: Time is compared to a thief and a conqueror.
Personification: Time is given human qualities, such as a “swift foot” and a “chest.”
Repetition: The word “time” is repeated throughout the sonnet to emphasize its importance.
Overall, Sonnet 65 is a powerful and moving meditation on the nature of time and beauty. The speaker’s despair at the realization that time is invincible is palpable, but he also offers a glimmer of hope in the belief that poetry can preserve beauty from time’s ravages.
Key Points
Author: William Shakespeare is considered to be one of the most important English-language writers. His plays and poems are read all over the world.
Form: “Since brass, nor stone, nor earth, nor boundless sea” (Sonnet 65) is a sonnet, a fourteen-line poem that is contained within one stanza. The form that has become synonymous with the poet’s name. The English or Shakespearean sonnet is made up of three quatrains, or sets of four lines, and one concluding couplet, or set of two rhyming lines.
Speaker: The speaker of the poem is a narrator who is contemplating the power of time and its effects on beauty and life.
Setting: The setting isn’t specific to a particular place or time. It’s more about the universal human experience of witnessing the passage of time.
Theme: The main theme of the poem is the transience of beauty and the power of time. It explores how everything in the world, no matter how strong or beautiful, eventually succumbs to the effects of time.
Plot: The poem starts by describing how nothing in the world can withstand time’s power. The speaker then wonders how beauty can stand a chance against time, which is as delicate as a flower. The speaker contemplates the inevitable decay brought about by time, and wonders where beauty can hide from time. The poem concludes with the speaker finding solace in the written word, which can preserve the memory of beauty against time’s destructive power.
Tone: The tone of the poem is somber and reflective, with the speaker expressing a sense of awe and fear at the power of time.
Style: Shakespeare’s style in this sonnet, like his others, is characterized by his rich imagery and metaphorical language. He uses metaphors to compare time’s effects to a siege, and beauty to a precious jewel.
Message: The message of the poem is that while physical beauty fades with time, the beauty of love can be immortalized through words. This is encapsulated in the final lines: “That in black ink my love may still shine bright.”
Structure and Rhyme Scheme
The structure of the poem “Since brass, nor stone, nor earth, nor boundless sea” is a Shakespearean sonnet. This form of sonnet is also known as the English sonnet. Here’s a breakdown of its structure and rhyme scheme:
Structure A Shakespearean sonnet consists of 14 lines divided into three quatrains (four-line stanzas) and a final rhymed couplet.
Rhyme Scheme The rhyme scheme of a Shakespearean sonnet is ABAB CDCD EFEF GG. This means that in each quatrain, the first- and third-lines rhyme with each other, and the second- and fourth-lines rhyme with each other. The final two lines, which form a couplet, also rhyme with each other.
In the case of this poem, the rhyme scheme would look like this:
Since brass, nor stone, nor earth, nor boundless sea (A)
But sad mortality o’er-sways their power, (B)
How with this rage shall beauty hold a plea, (A)
Whose action is no stronger than a flower? (B)
O, how shall summer’s honey breath hold out ©
Against the wrackful siege of batt’ring days, (D)
When rocks impregnable are not so stout, ©
Nor gates of steel so strong, but time decays? (D)
O fearful meditation! where, alack, (E)
Shall time’s best jewel from time’s chest lie hid? (F)
Or what strong hand can hold his swift foot back? (E)
Or who his spoil of beauty can forbid? (F)
O, none, unless this miracle have might, (G)
That in black ink my love may still shine bright. (G)
This structure and rhyme scheme are characteristic of Shakespeare’s sonnets and are part of what gives them their musical quality.
Word Meaning
| Line | Tough Word | Meaning in English | Meaning in Hindi |
| 1 | Brass | An alloy of copper and zinc | पीतल |
| 1 | Stone | A solid, natural substance of mineral origin | पत्थर |
| 1 | Earth | The solid ground on which we live | धरती |
| 1 | Boundless | Having no limits or boundaries | अपार |
| 1 | Sea | A large body of salt water | समुद्र |
| 2 | Mortality | The state of being mortal | मृत्यु |
| 2 | O’er-sways | To have power or influence over | प्रभाव डालना |
| 3 | Rage | Anger | क्रोध |
| 3 | Plea | A request or appeal | विनती |
| 4 | Action | The process of doing something | क्रिया |
| 5 | Summer’s honey breath | The warm, sweet air of summer | गर्मी की मधुर साँस |
| 5 | Hold out | To endure or continue for a long time | टिक जाना |
| 6 | Wrackful siege | A violent or destructive attack | भयानक घेराबंदी |
| 6 | Batt’ring days | Days of constant attack or violence | लगातार हमले या हिंसा के दिन |
| 7 | Impregnable | Unable to be captured or defeated | अभेद्य |
| 7 | Stout | Strong, tough, and sturdy | मजबूत, कठोर और मजबूत |
| 8 | decays | decompose | क्षय |
| 9 | Fearful meditation | A terrifying thought or contemplation | भयानक ध्यान |
| 9 | Alack | An exclamation of regret or disappointment | अफ़सोस या निराशा का विस्मय |
| 10 | Best jewel | The most precious or valuable possession | सबसे अच्छा रत्न |
| 10 | Hid | Hide | छुपा दिया |
| 11 | Swift foot | A quick and agile foot | तेज पैर |
| 12 | Spoil | Something taken by force or violence | लूट |
| 12 | Forbid | To prevent or prohibit something | मना करना |
| 13 | Miracle | An event that is considered to be an act of God | चमत्कार |
| 13 | Might | Great power or strength | ताकत |
| 14 | Black ink | Poetry or Poem or Written Words | कविता या लिखित शब्द |
