William Shakespeare's Sonnet 18

William Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18 is perhaps his most well known and well regarded sonnet. It speaks of love, with a straightforward language that cannot be misconstrued to have any other intent. Shakespeare’s genius use of language creates the metaphorical image of the perfect person, who has no flaws.

The person Shakespeare is describing in the poem is often thought to be a lover whom he deeply adores and respects. However, this sonnet does not specifically name a person, gender, or use any descriptive language that might allude to the person’s identity. In fact, it merely speaks of another person in general, and can be universally applied to any person on earth. Shakespeare could have possibly intended for his language to be vague, in order to keep the sonnet from being considered a stereotypical “love poem.”

“Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?” Shakespeare begins his ingenious work with this simply rhetorical question. The spoken of person is being compared to a day which is warm, “lovely,” and “temperate.” The word temperate is a word that describes perfection. The word temperate indicates a middle ground, which does not lean too far in any specific direction. Shakespeare wishes to convey this sentiment to the person whom this sonnet is directed too. That person is perfect, because he or she does not act irrationally, nor does that person act too rationally in certain cases. This person handles life with perfection and moderation.

Shakespeare concludes his poem with a statement of immortality. “So long lives this and gives life to thee.” These final words indicate that as long as this sonnet exists, that person shall also live. These words are literary genius because they explicitly state Shakespeare’s desire to perform actions for the person without any compensation. That person will live forever in Sonnet 18, because the sentiments and character traits describing that person are each present and explained in fine yet conversational detail.

William Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18 may in fact be the greatest poem ever written. The famous beginning line referring to a summer’s day immediately creates an aura of vibrancy, life, and perfection. The sonnet’s final words indicate immortality and the notion that the “summer’s day” will never end. William Shakespeare, in these famous words to his adored friend, enshrines that person forever in an eternal tabernacle of literary genius.