The Power and Immortality of Beauty

Using a strict form and following the structure that he himself created, William Shakespeare's sonnets have proven to have withstood the test of the ages. Much like the themes of some of his poetry, Shakespeare's sonnets have shown themselves to be timeless and universal, much like the themes that comprise them. In his famous "Sonnet 18", Shakespeare compares the beauty of a person, often thought to be an anonymous young man, to a "summer's day" (Line 1). This young man proves to be more beautiful than even the most temperate of all the seasons in addition to being more static and unchanging. The poem concludes with the famous couplet, "So long as men can breathe or eyes can see, So long lives this, and this gives life to thee" (Lines 13-14). While brief, this poem explores a multitude of themes which include, beauty, Nature, aging and immortality. Indeed, this poem brings about the age old fascination of eternal beauty, but does not evoke this theme in the same fashion as "Sonnet 55", whose speaker alludes to the immortality of his rhyme (his art). The fortunate, eternal beauty of the person to whom "Sonnet 18" is addressed is simply rife with a beauty more powerful and beautiful than Nature and time together. He or she does not have to work for this distinction, and its truth is an aspect to which all men can attest simply by bearing witness to its veracity. Not only is this beauty natural, but it is also extremely powerful. The addressee has the power to be more stable than the summer sun, never too hot, and his or her "eternal summer" (Line 9) can outshine even death himself. Normally, when confronted with beauty and perfection so extreme, one would wonder, but at what cost? Shakespeare makes no allusion to any negative consequence that this beauty might conjure, and its objective truth is given such unanimous praise that even men and "eternal lines to time" can do nothing but bow before it as auspicious spectators. Beauty is a theme as timeless as poetry and its power is as strong as the subjects that it so often evokes. Shakespeare's sonnets are rife with allusions toward immortality and timeless beauty, but "Sonnet 18" is one whose famous lines have withstood the test of time, much like the fortunate person to whom the verses are addressed.