WHEN I CONSIDER...

William Shakespeare, Sonnet 15

In the present text I am going to analyse the sonnet 15 by William Shakespeare.

Considering the layout the reader can recognise the sonnet complies with the typical structure of Elizabethan sonnets. The Shakespearean sonnet is arranged into three quatrains and one rhyming couplet. According to the convention of Shakespeare sonnets, the quatrains should take into consideration different aspects of the same problem.

In the first two quatrains Shakespeare conveys the idea that everything that grows, human beings included, reach the peak of perfection only for a very short time.

He creates a parallelism between plants, in the first quatrain, and men, in the second one.

In the first quatrain Shakespeare underlines the existence of vegetal life is influenced by the stars and on the other hand, in the second quatrain he highlights the destinity of human life is influenced by the sky.

In the second quatrain the reader can understand the best state of the men's life is their youth. Men and plants are characterised by the same main stages: youth, decline and death.

The third quatrain represents the turning point, indeed Shakespeare explains personal considerations, according to the word conceit in line nine and my in line ten.

The intelligent reader can understand the “you” in line ten refers to the fair youth. Shakespeare personifies the time and the decline that devour the youth of all living things.

In the rhyming couplet Shakespeare declares himself at war with the time for love of the fair youth. Thanks to his poetry he gives new life to him.