The poem follows the iambic pattern (x) and the main structure is the iambic pentameter- five feets in each line-. ... The couplet is used as a turning point to tell us that immortal youth can be achieved for "my love-- the young man- by means of verses in his poetry. ... The purpose of the poem is clarity, simplicity and directness. DETAILED ANALYSIS In the 1st line the poet makes use of a recorded proverb of the age, "Time devours all things-. ... Lines 2 and 4 share the same idea - L2 The earth devours her own children in the sense that they all return to the dust and ashes of whic...

• Word Count: 790
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

This use of paradox adds intensity to the sonnet and lays the foundation for the following quatrain. The first quatrain is like the silence before a storm; the way it is presented suggests that there is more to come. ... In a passage such as this, the distance between the composing author and the fictive speaker almost vanishes, as it is very easy to imagine that Shakespeare, a master of expression, would tell himself that a perfect ceremony of love could be invented. ... Furthermore, the verbal parallelism of the octet is replaced by an irregular line-motion as the persona's agitation ac...

• Word Count: 520
• Approx Pages: 2