, Shakespeare wrote 154 Sonnets, and
SONNET 73 - WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE each one was numbered, thus Sonnet 73
Inversion is used to show poet is
remorseful about getting old.
Refers to a friend
That time of year thou mayst in me behold
Symbolism: refers to the
autumn or winter of one’s life
When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang
Refers to branches that are empty (old age). Once
there were birds sitting on them and singing
Branches are bare, like in a
Upon those boughs which shake against the cold, ruined cathedral where the
choir used to stand
Birds left The youth
Bare ruin'd choirs, where late the sweet birds sang:
He says that he will look like the quickly fading Metaphor: The end of
twighlight of the day, as the sun is setting in the west the day is directly
In me thou see'st the twilight of such day compared to the end of
one’s life
As after sunset fadeth in the west, Just like the dark night takes over the day,
death to will also take over life (death is
also a mirror image of the dark)
Personification: Night and death is
Which by and by black night doth take away, compared to someone stealing someone
Alliteration of the “s” When something has been sealed tightly
shut and the seal cannot be broken. Both
Death's second self, that seals up all in rest. night and death bring a darkness that
cannot be broken. It seals the day by
Metaphor: Old age is being sending you to bed or death.
compared to a fire dying out
In me thou see'st the glowing of such fire Lines 5-8: Approaching
Personification: remains of the poet’s death and mood changes
youthful passion. Only ashes remain when a to gloom and melancholy.
fire dies. Youthful nature turned to ash
That on the ashes of his youth doth lie,
Fire is symbolic of life/lust/passion
Simile: His life force is dying out. Poet’s youth
once gave him warmth and radiance. Lines 9-12:
As the death-bed whereon it must expire Poet implies his life and vitality is
Irony: Youthful nature is what gives extinguished and is drawn to death.
you life and passion, yet it is also what Tone is distressed and despondent.
tires you out and make you old. He mourns his impending death
Consumed with that which it was nourish'd by.
Enhances the friends Friend will see this shawdow of
love for the poet death and mark of decay more
This thou perceivest, which makes thy love more strong, clearly in the poet
Poet find consolation in his friend’s renewed love.
He will see the decline and the aging and this will let Lines 13-14:
him love more deeply what he is about to lose Reveals the solution to the
To love that well which thou must leave ere long inevitable death. Death and
loss will lead to the friend
Friend will soon be
loving more deeply. Tone
seperated from the
goes from depression to
poet because of death
consolation.
, Themes:
Format: 1. Aging- Aging is something that is natural and
• English/Shakespearan/Elizabethan Sonnet inevitable, that does not mean it should be looked at
• Three quatrians and 1 rhyming couplet negatively
• Iambic pentameter (abab cdcd efef gg) 2. Love- the fact that someone is physically aging does
• The first two qautrains introduce the main not mean that love will deplete. Before we die, we must
idea/theme be loved well knowing that we only have people for a
• In the beginning of the third qautrain limited amount of time although love can triumph over
there is a change many obstacles it is still limited to mortality and
• The couplet summarises the poem and nature.
leaves the reader with a new, cocluding 3. Man and his mortality- the speaker is haunted by the
image thought of his impending death. He moans this by
metaphorically referring to ashes nighttime and the
cold. We should love one another in life because we all
will die.
4. Time- aging is something that happens overtime and is
a certainty one will age and that leads to death we all
Tone:
have a time to die.
• speaker is depressed as he feels his life
is almost at an end
• Mournful: contemplating the reality of
aging and death
• Pensive: perceives the closeness of his
death ,he finds comfort that love will
grow and continue of death
Mood:
• sombr, sad, dark
• Comforted that love will still grow
even after death
, PAST EXAM QUESTIONS
1. Complete the following sentence by using the words in the list below. Write only the word
next to the question numbers (6.1.1(a) to 6.1.1(d)) in the ANSWER BOOK. This is a typical
(a)Elizabethan sonnet, consisting of three (b)quatrains and a rhyming (C) couplet with a
rhyme scheme of (d) abab cdcd efef gg
2. Give the literal meaning of 'That time of year' (line 1). The season of autumn (fall)/the
beginning of winter.
3. Refer to lines 5-6 ('In me thou .... in the west').
a) What tone would the speaker use in these lines? sadness/melancholy/resignation
b)Why would the speaker use this tone in these lines? The speaker sadly realises that he is
nearing the end of his life/he is not a permanent/immortal being. He comes to accept the
ageing process as he realises that ageing is inevitable.
4. Why is the following statement FALSE?
In line 7, 'black night' refers to the speaker's youth. 'black night' refers to the speaker's
death/end of life.
5. Refer to line 8 ('Death's second self ... all in rest').
a) Identify the figure of speech used in this line. Metaphor/personification/alliteration
b) Explain why the figure of speech is relevant in this line. In the same way that the
speaker's eyes close temporarily while asleep, so will death close his eyes permanently.
The repeated s-sound suggests the calmness and silencer that accompanies the night, the
dead or ageing person.
6. One of the themes in 'Sonnet 73' is aging.
Discuss this theme.
The speaker's reference to ageing (lines 1-3) is evident when he refers to autumn (the
metaphorical middle age of man).
He is no longer youthful (the reference to spring) just like the trees that are losing their
leaves in autumn.
His reference to the end of the day ('twilight of such day') reinforces the realisation that he
is ageing.
7. 'Sonnet 73' is a love poem.
Discuss your view.
Yes.
The speaker and his lover choose to accept the finality of death but they are also committed
to loving fully before they die.
He says that the person whom he is addressing must acknowledge everything that he has
mentioned in the first twelve lines in order to strengthen their love.
He pleads in the couplet for their love to remain even when they are no longer alive.
SONNET 73 - WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE each one was numbered, thus Sonnet 73
Inversion is used to show poet is
remorseful about getting old.
Refers to a friend
That time of year thou mayst in me behold
Symbolism: refers to the
autumn or winter of one’s life
When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang
Refers to branches that are empty (old age). Once
there were birds sitting on them and singing
Branches are bare, like in a
Upon those boughs which shake against the cold, ruined cathedral where the
choir used to stand
Birds left The youth
Bare ruin'd choirs, where late the sweet birds sang:
He says that he will look like the quickly fading Metaphor: The end of
twighlight of the day, as the sun is setting in the west the day is directly
In me thou see'st the twilight of such day compared to the end of
one’s life
As after sunset fadeth in the west, Just like the dark night takes over the day,
death to will also take over life (death is
also a mirror image of the dark)
Personification: Night and death is
Which by and by black night doth take away, compared to someone stealing someone
Alliteration of the “s” When something has been sealed tightly
shut and the seal cannot be broken. Both
Death's second self, that seals up all in rest. night and death bring a darkness that
cannot be broken. It seals the day by
Metaphor: Old age is being sending you to bed or death.
compared to a fire dying out
In me thou see'st the glowing of such fire Lines 5-8: Approaching
Personification: remains of the poet’s death and mood changes
youthful passion. Only ashes remain when a to gloom and melancholy.
fire dies. Youthful nature turned to ash
That on the ashes of his youth doth lie,
Fire is symbolic of life/lust/passion
Simile: His life force is dying out. Poet’s youth
once gave him warmth and radiance. Lines 9-12:
As the death-bed whereon it must expire Poet implies his life and vitality is
Irony: Youthful nature is what gives extinguished and is drawn to death.
you life and passion, yet it is also what Tone is distressed and despondent.
tires you out and make you old. He mourns his impending death
Consumed with that which it was nourish'd by.
Enhances the friends Friend will see this shawdow of
love for the poet death and mark of decay more
This thou perceivest, which makes thy love more strong, clearly in the poet
Poet find consolation in his friend’s renewed love.
He will see the decline and the aging and this will let Lines 13-14:
him love more deeply what he is about to lose Reveals the solution to the
To love that well which thou must leave ere long inevitable death. Death and
loss will lead to the friend
Friend will soon be
loving more deeply. Tone
seperated from the
goes from depression to
poet because of death
consolation.
, Themes:
Format: 1. Aging- Aging is something that is natural and
• English/Shakespearan/Elizabethan Sonnet inevitable, that does not mean it should be looked at
• Three quatrians and 1 rhyming couplet negatively
• Iambic pentameter (abab cdcd efef gg) 2. Love- the fact that someone is physically aging does
• The first two qautrains introduce the main not mean that love will deplete. Before we die, we must
idea/theme be loved well knowing that we only have people for a
• In the beginning of the third qautrain limited amount of time although love can triumph over
there is a change many obstacles it is still limited to mortality and
• The couplet summarises the poem and nature.
leaves the reader with a new, cocluding 3. Man and his mortality- the speaker is haunted by the
image thought of his impending death. He moans this by
metaphorically referring to ashes nighttime and the
cold. We should love one another in life because we all
will die.
4. Time- aging is something that happens overtime and is
a certainty one will age and that leads to death we all
Tone:
have a time to die.
• speaker is depressed as he feels his life
is almost at an end
• Mournful: contemplating the reality of
aging and death
• Pensive: perceives the closeness of his
death ,he finds comfort that love will
grow and continue of death
Mood:
• sombr, sad, dark
• Comforted that love will still grow
even after death
, PAST EXAM QUESTIONS
1. Complete the following sentence by using the words in the list below. Write only the word
next to the question numbers (6.1.1(a) to 6.1.1(d)) in the ANSWER BOOK. This is a typical
(a)Elizabethan sonnet, consisting of three (b)quatrains and a rhyming (C) couplet with a
rhyme scheme of (d) abab cdcd efef gg
2. Give the literal meaning of 'That time of year' (line 1). The season of autumn (fall)/the
beginning of winter.
3. Refer to lines 5-6 ('In me thou .... in the west').
a) What tone would the speaker use in these lines? sadness/melancholy/resignation
b)Why would the speaker use this tone in these lines? The speaker sadly realises that he is
nearing the end of his life/he is not a permanent/immortal being. He comes to accept the
ageing process as he realises that ageing is inevitable.
4. Why is the following statement FALSE?
In line 7, 'black night' refers to the speaker's youth. 'black night' refers to the speaker's
death/end of life.
5. Refer to line 8 ('Death's second self ... all in rest').
a) Identify the figure of speech used in this line. Metaphor/personification/alliteration
b) Explain why the figure of speech is relevant in this line. In the same way that the
speaker's eyes close temporarily while asleep, so will death close his eyes permanently.
The repeated s-sound suggests the calmness and silencer that accompanies the night, the
dead or ageing person.
6. One of the themes in 'Sonnet 73' is aging.
Discuss this theme.
The speaker's reference to ageing (lines 1-3) is evident when he refers to autumn (the
metaphorical middle age of man).
He is no longer youthful (the reference to spring) just like the trees that are losing their
leaves in autumn.
His reference to the end of the day ('twilight of such day') reinforces the realisation that he
is ageing.
7. 'Sonnet 73' is a love poem.
Discuss your view.
Yes.
The speaker and his lover choose to accept the finality of death but they are also committed
to loving fully before they die.
He says that the person whom he is addressing must acknowledge everything that he has
mentioned in the first twelve lines in order to strengthen their love.
He pleads in the couplet for their love to remain even when they are no longer alive.
