Analysis of Shakespeare’s Sonnet XV

In the present text I am going to analyse Shakespeare’s Sonnet 15. It belongs to the collection of sonnets adressed to Mr W.H., Shakespeare's fair youth.

Considering the layout you can notice the typical Elizabethan-sonnet pattern:  it consists of 4 stanza, three quatrains and a rhyming couplet. 

Analysing the first stanza you understand the lyrical voice speaks in the first person; it is telling you its considerations about time and perfection. In particular, the speaking voice is expressing his feelings about time and aging. It presents nature as illusions (“shows”, in line 3), under the effect of magic (“stars”, l.4). The relationship between natural and supernatural realit is not uncommon - you have to remember Shakespeare lived during the 16th century, when people believed and performed alchemy  which was seen as a cheating power stealing perfection.

In the second quatrain the speaking voice introduces human beings as parts of nature. The metaphor of sap, used for “energy”, underlines the similarity between plants and human beings; they follow the same rules, under the effect of “sky”, which plays the same role of “stars” in stanza 1, even if it is raised as a divalent strength, because it checks but also cheers men. You can also notice the sound of the two verbs used by Shakespeare: the sound of “cheered” (a positive verb) is sweet, while the sound of “checked” (a negative) isn’t. Also vanity for youth is introduced, which black out men about the march of time.

In the third stanza another protagonist is introduced: it is an impersonal “you”, probably the man beloved by Shakespeare (recognisable as the adresser of the sonnets, Mr W.H.). 

Also the man follows the rules of life, but he is so important that Time and Decay fight together against him, to bring him to a “sullied night” (line 12).

The implied man’s perfection is traced back to court love code, which is exploited by Shakespeare in most of his sonnets, and it consists in a raising of the person beloved.

The stanza represents the turn point of the sonnet and it is useful for the sonneteer to move close to his intentions of eulogy and love; it is a “bridge” between the first part of the poem and last one, which consists of two lines.

The ending rhyming couplets highlight speaking voice’s obligation for the beloved.

Considering the semantic level you can notice the poet uses words from nature and life semantic field (to grow, to increase, plants, sap, to engraft, but also night, day, Time and Decay), from magical one (stars, secret influence, sky). Present verb tense is used to involve readers and to speak about eternal feelings. Images and personifications of Stars, Time, Decay are useful to speak about the march of Time; as the metaphor between men and nature said above.

Rhymes and a slow rhythm are exploited to create an atmosphere of melancholy and impotence; for example rhyme in lines 5 and 7, where “increase” is written before “decrease”, so that the last one stays in readers mind, but also “sight” and “night” (lines 9 and 11)  are opposite concepts - “sight” may be considered as “light”.

Stanza 1 and 2 both start with the same word, “when”, so you can easily understand they both speak about almost the same things, while the third stanza, where it is introduced one more protagonist, starts with “then”, which rhymes with “when”, so that stanzas 1,2 and 3 are linked, even if in the third there is a step forward.

It is important to underline the similitude in the last line, which overturns the message of the whole sonnet. Indeed, while during the first three stanzas Time is generally treated as a negative strength, in the last one is the size of love and, at the same time, the reason of beloved’s immortality. Time is not only a negative and cheater power but also, thanks to memories and texts, assurance of life; it is divalent (remember Sky, in stanza two!); it destroys youth, with its vanity, but allows the growth of true feelings.

In conclusion, Sonnet 15 is not an eulogy of a man, but an eulogy of Time, Life and Eternity.