Sonnet 65 by William Shakespeare Questions Answers
Very Short Answer Questions
Who is the author of the poem?
The author of the poem is William Shakespeare.
What is the form of the poem?
The poem is a sonnet.
Who is the speaker in the poem?
The speaker is a narrator contemplating the power of time.
What is the setting of the poem?
The setting is not specific to a place or time but more about the universal human experience.
What is the main theme of the poem?
The main theme is the transience of beauty and the power of time.
What is the tone of the poem?
The tone is somber and reflective.
What is the style of the poem?
The style is characterized by rich imagery and metaphorical language.
What is the message of the poem?
The message is that the beauty of love can be immortalized through words.
What is the rhyme scheme of the poem?
The rhyme scheme is ABAB CDCD EFEF GG.
What does the speaker compare to a siege in the poem?
The speaker compares time’s effects to a siege.
What does the speaker compare to a precious jewel in the poem?
The speaker compares beauty to a precious jewel.
What does the speaker find solace in at the end of the poem?
The speaker finds solace in the written word.
What does the speaker say about the power of time in the poem?
The speaker says that nothing in the world can withstand time’s power.
What does the speaker say about the transience of beauty in the poem?
The speaker says that physical beauty fades with time.
What does the speaker say about the power of words in the poem?
The speaker says that words can preserve the memory of beauty against time’s destructive power.
What does the speaker wonder about in the poem?
The speaker wonders how beauty can stand a chance against time.
What does the speaker contemplate in the poem?
The speaker contemplates the inevitable decay brought about by time.
What does the speaker conclude in the poem?
The speaker concludes that the beauty of love can be immortalized through words.
What does the speaker compare beauty to in the poem?
The speaker compares beauty to a flower.
What does the speaker compare time to in the poem?
The speaker compares time to a swift foot.
What does the speaker list as things that time can conquer?
Brass, stone, earth, and the boundless sea
What does the speaker call the destruction of beauty by time?
A “spoil”
What does the speaker believe can preserve beauty from time?
Poetry
What does the speaker call his love for the young man?
His “best jewel”
What is the metaphor used in line 6?
Time is compared to a “wrackful siege”
What is the personification used in line 11?
Time is given a “swift foot”
What is the effect of the repetition of the word “time” throughout the poem?
It emphasizes the importance of time
What is the meter of the sonnet?
Iambic pentameter
What is the structure of the sonnet?
It is divided into three quatrains and a couplet
What is the significance of the couplet?
It provides a resolution to the poem’s conflict
What is the speaker’s attitude towards time?
He is both fearful of it and fascinated by it
What is the speaker’s attitude towards beauty?
He appreciates its beauty, but he also recognizes its fleeting nature
What is the speaker’s purpose in writing the poem?
To express his feelings about time, beauty, and the power of poetry
What is the poem’s meaning?
That time is powerful and can destroy even the most beautiful things, but that poetry can preserve beauty from time’s destruction
Short Answer Questions
What is the central theme of Sonnet 65?
The central 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.
How does Shakespeare characterize the endurance of natural elements in the poem?
Shakespeare characterizes the endurance of natural elements like brass, stone, earth, and the boundless sea as vulnerable to the prevailing influence of human mortality.
What metaphor does Shakespeare use to describe the fragility of beauty?
Shakespeare uses the metaphor of comparing the strength of beauty to that of a flower, emphasizing its delicate and vulnerable nature.
What does the poet express concern about in relation to summer in the poem?
The poet expresses concern about how the sweet fragrance of summer, represented by “summer’s honey breath,” can endure against the destructive forces of time.
How does Shakespeare view the impact of time on seemingly strong elements like rocks and gates of steel?
Shakespeare suggests that even rocks and gates of steel, which seem invincible, are not strong enough to resist the decay caused by the relentless passage of time.
What does the poet refer to as “time’s best jewel” in the poem?
The poet refers to beauty or love as “time’s best jewel,” highlighting its precious and fleeting nature in the face of time’s relentless march.
What is the poet’s reaction to the meditation on the decay caused by time?
The poet expresses a sense of fear and contemplation, referred to as “O fearful meditation,” in response to the inevitable decay caused by the passage of time.
How does Shakespeare introduce the concept of a potential solution or miracle in the poem?
Shakespeare introduces the concept of a potential solution or miracle in the concluding lines, suggesting that the poet’s love may continue to shine brightly in black ink, symbolizing the enduring power of written words.
What does the use of “black ink” symbolize in the final couplet of the poem?
The use of “black ink” symbolizes the enduring nature of the poet’s love, suggesting that through the act of writing, the beauty and love can be preserved and continue to shine brightly despite the ravages of time.
In what way does the poem convey a sense of melancholy or concern about the transience of beauty?
The poem conveys a sense of melancholy by expressing concern about how beauty, as delicate as a flower, is vulnerable to the destructive forces of time, and the poet grapples with the inevitable decay of what is considered precious and beautiful.
