Sonnet 73 by William Shakespeare Analysis

Line 1: That time of year thou mayst in me behold

Explanation

The speaker directly addresses their beloved (“thou”) inviting them to see the reflection of autumn’s decline within them. This is direct address and sets the stage for a personal introspective poem.

Poetic devices

Metaphor: “That time of year” is a metaphor for the speaker’s late age and declining vitality.

Line 2: When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang

Explanation

This line elaborates on the metaphor, depicting the bare branches with only a few remaining leaves, clinging on despite the cold. This creates a vivid imagery of decay and decline.

Line 3: Upon those boughs which shake against the cold,

Explanation

The speaker personifies the branches, attributing human emotions like “shaking” to them. This adds pathos and evokes a sense of vulnerability.

Poetic devices

Personification: The branches are given human characteristics like “shaking,” evoking empathy for the vulnerable speaker.

Line 4: Bare ruin’d choirs, where late the sweet birds sang.

Explanation

The branches, once vibrant and alive with birdsong, are now likened to “bare ruin’d choirs,” highlighting the silence and emptiness left behind. This uses juxtaposition to emphasize the contrast between past and present.

Poetic devices

Metaphor: The branches are transformed into “bare ruin’d choirs,” showcasing their former glory and emphasizing the silence left behind.

Alliteration: repetition of the “s” sound in “sweet birds sang”.

Line 5: In me thou see’st the twilight of such day

Explanation

The speaker draws a parallel between their own state and the “twilight of such day,” comparing their age to the fading light of sunset. This reinforces the metaphor of autumn representing their declining years.

Poetic devices

Metaphor: The metaphor of “twilight” represents the declining years of the speaker’s life.

Line 6: As after sunset fadeth in the west,

Explanation

This line further emphasizes the fading light of life, using sunset as a simile to depict the speaker’s approaching end.

Poetic devices

Simile: “As…fadeth” directly compares the speaker’s state to the setting sun.

Line 7: Which by and by black night doth take away,

Explanation

“Black night” is a metaphor for death, which gradually consumes the light of day and life. This uses personification of night to make death seem inevitable and powerful.

Poetic devices

Metaphor and Personification: “Black night” becomes a metaphor for death, personified as a force that “doth take away” the light of life.

Line 8: Death’s second self, that seals up all in rest.

Explanation

Death is called “death’s second self,” highlighting its finality and permanence. “Rest” represents eternal peace, providing some consolation for the inevitability of death.

Poetic devices

Personification: Death personified as having a “second self , bringing an end to everything and providing rest.

Line 9: In me thou see’st the glowing of such fire

Explanation

The speaker continues the metaphor, now comparing their life force to a dying fire, its embers still glowing but fading. This uses imagery to evoke a sense of waning vitality.

Poetic devices

Metaphor: “Fire” is a metaphor for the speaker’s remaining passion and life force.

Line 10: That on the ashes of his youth doth lie,

Explanation

The fire rests on the “ashes of his youth,” highlighting the passage of time and the depletion of youthful energy. This uses symbolism of ashes representing lost vitality.

Poetic devices

Metaphor: The ashes of youth serve as a metaphor for the remnants or memories of the speaker’s earlier years.

Line 11: As the death-bed whereon it must expire,

Explanation

The fire is further compared to a “death-bed,” emphasizing the inevitability of its extinction, paralleling the speaker’s approaching end. This uses simile to directly compare the fire’s fate to the speaker’s mortality.

Poetic devices:

Simile: “As the death-bed” directly establishes the parallel between the fire and the speaker’s mortality.

Line 12: Consum’d with that which it was nourish’d by.

Explanation

The fire is consumed by the very fuel it once thrived on, suggesting a cyclical nature of life and death. There’s a touch of irony here, as the fire, which was initially nourished, is now consumed by the same elements.

Poetic devices

Irony: There’s a touch of irony here, as the fire, which was initially nourished, is now consumed by the same elements.

Line 13: This thou perceiv’st, which makes thy love more strong,

Explanation

The speaker acknowledges their beloved’s understanding of their decline, suggesting that this awareness paradoxically strengthens their love.

Line 14: To love that well which thou must leave ere long.

Explanation

The final line emphasizes the bittersweet nature of love in the face of mortality. The speaker encourages their beloved to cherish them “well” even though they must part soon. This uses paradox to highlight the contradiction of loving what we must inevitably lose.

Poetic devices

Paradox: The paradox lies in the idea that the awareness of impending loss strengthens love, even though it might seem contradictory.

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Sonnet 73 by William Shakespeare Summary

“Sonnet 73” is one of the most famous of William Shakespeare’s 154 sonnets. It was likely written in the 1590s and published in 1609. This sonnet is part of the Fair Youth sequence, a series of poems (from sonnets 1 to 126) that are addressed to an unnamed young man. The Fair Youth sequence has strong romantic language that portrays intense imagery.

In Sonnet 73, Shakespeare uses the imagery of autumn and fading light to reflect on his own aging and approaching death. He compares himself to a barren tree, a dying fire, and the twilight hour, showcasing his declining vitality and sense of approaching darkness.

However, the poem is not simply a lament. The speaker finds solace in the enduring love of his beloved, emphasizing that even in the face of mortality, their love can deepen and strengthen. He encourages cherishing each other “well” despite the inevitability of parting.

The poem’s key message lies in the bittersweet paradox of love and death. While acknowledging the pain of separation, Shakespeare celebrates the enduring power of love that can flourish and deepen even as we face the end.

Here are some additional points to consider:

The poem employs numerous poetic devices like metaphors, personification, similes, and paradoxes to enhance its emotional impact and complexity.

The speaker’s direct address to his beloved creates a sense of intimacy and shared vulnerability.

The use of nature imagery adds a layer of universality, connecting the speaker’s personal experience to the larger cycle of life and death.

Overall, Sonnet 73 offers a poignant and thought-provoking reflection on aging, love, and the preciousness of life in the face of mortality. It is a powerful reminder to cherish the present and find solace in the connections we hold dear.

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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: Sonnet 146 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 typically understood to be an older person addressing a younger man.

Setting: The setting isn’t specific, but the poem uses metaphors of autumn, twilight, and a dying fire to convey the passage of time.

Theme: Aging, mortality, and the enduring nature of love.

Plot: The poem doesn’t have a plot in the traditional sense, but it presents a progression of metaphors to express the speaker’s perception of aging. The speaker compares himself to a late autumn day, twilight after sunset, and the glowing remnants of a fire.

Tone: The tone of the poem is somewhat melancholic and reflective, as the speaker contemplates his own aging and mortality.

Style: Shakespeare’s style in this sonnet is characterized by his use of metaphor and personification.

Message: The message of the poem is that the awareness of our own mortality can make our love for others stronger. The speaker suggests that knowing we will have to part from our loved ones can make us love them even more deeply. The enduring power of love can triumph over the melancholy of mortality during old age.

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Structure and Rhyme Scheme

Structure

The structure of Sonnet 73 follows the typical structure of a Shakespearean sonnet. It is composed of three quatrains (four-line stanzas) and a final couplet (two-line stanza). The quatrains often introduce a problem or question, while the couplet provides a resolution or answer.

Rhyme Scheme

The rhyme scheme of a Shakespearean sonnet is ABABCDCDEFEFGG. This means that the first and third lines of each quatrain rhyme with each other (A and C, D and F), as do the second and fourth lines (B and D, E and G). The final couplet (GG) also rhymes.

This structure and rhyme scheme are characteristic of Shakespeare’s sonnets and are part of what gives them their musicality and emotional impact.

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Word Meaning

Line	Tough Word	Meaning in English	Meaning in Hindi
1	Thou	You	तुम
1	mayst	archaic second person singular present of “may”	सकना
1	behold	to see or perceive	देखना, अनुभव करना
2	hang	to be suspended from above	टांगना, लटकना
2	boughs	branches of a tree	शाखाएं
3	shake	to tremble or vibrate	कांपना, हिलना
4	choirs	groups of singers	गायन-दल
4	ruin’d	destroyed or damaged	खंडहर, बर्बाद
5	twilight	the period of faint light after sunset	शाम का समय, गोधूलि
5	fadeth	becomes fainter or weaker	कम होना, मंद पड़ना
6	by and by	gradually or little by little	धीरे-धीरे, क्रमशः
7	doth	present tense third-person singular of do. (Does)
7	taketh away	removes or carries off	ले जाना, दूर करना
7	black night	complete darkness	घोर अंधकार
8	second self	another self, a duplicate	दूसरा रूप, अनुकृति
9	glowing	emitting a soft, warm light	चमकता हुआ, दमकता हुआ
10	ashes		राख
10	lie	to be situated or positioned	होना, स्थित होना
11	death-bed	the bed on which someone dies	मृत्यु-शय्या
11	expire	to come to an end	समाप्त होना, खत्म होना
12	nourish’d	fed or supplied with food	पोषित, पाला गया
12	consum’d	destroyed or used up completely	भस्म हो जाना, समाप्त हो जाना
13	perceiv’st	understand or recognize	समझना, अनुभव करना
14	leave	to depart or go away	छोड़ना, जाना
14	Ere long	Before very long	जल्द ही