Shakespeare was a talented writer, and his use of diction exemplifies this. Throughout the sonnet, he repeats words in the body and the ending couplet, so as to tie the ideas together, and to portray his idea/theme. He also uses allusions to aging and death, and different models for time. His word choice is also splendid, for he is praising the beauty of his young man, and so uses words that illustrate beauty and youth.

There are numerous allusions to time in this sonnet, the first of which being the number of the sonnet. There are 12 hours in a day (if one div

Shakespeare has a command of language, and uses diverse imagery to portray change: violet is past its prime, sable (black) curls become white, leafy trees fall barren, and summer’s green fades. He later refers to these as “beauties” that are departing/fading away from what they were. This change is also an indirect reference to time, as all the change described is due to aging (the passing of time.)

Not only is there use of subtle onomatopoeia, but there is also reiteration of the word “time” throughout the sonnet. It is mentioned three times and modeled in three different ways. The first mention is in line one, then again in line ten, and finally in line 13. The use of the word “time” in line 13 serves as a couplet tie, which links the last two lines (the ending couplet) to the rest of the sonnet through similar ideas. (4) The three models of time are not so spread out as this; two are mentioned in the ending couplet. In lines 11-13, the first of these models of time is portrayed, and it is of time as a gradual and innocent fading, with beauties vanishing when others come to replace them. The next image of time is quite the contrast. In line 13, time is aggressive and v

Some topics in this essay:
, William Shakespeare, sonnet 12, youth beauty, line 13, beauty life, youth beauty life, threat youth beauty, threat youth, couplet tie, defiance change, word “time”, sonnet sonnet, throughout sonnet,