IndexThe use of images in Shakespeare's Sonnet 18The use of metaphors and natural phenomenaConclusionWilliam Shakespeare uses metaphors, similes, natural phenomena in relation to time or love as well as imagery in his Sonnet 18. This sonnet shares the central theme of the evil powers of the time. However, it varies in the means used to represent the speaker's anxiety about time as a fracture, using both ideas of love and time in relation to natural phenomenon. We say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The Use of Imagery in Shakespeare's Sonnet 18 In Sonnet 18, one of William Shakespeare's most famous sonnets, the use of imagery plays a crucial role in conveying the theme of eternal beauty and the immortalization of the beloved . Shakespeare employs vivid and evocative imagery to capture the essence of the speaker's admiration and to create a lasting impression on the reader. The sonnet opens with the famous line, "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?" Here, images of a summer day set the initial tone of beauty and vibrancy. Summer is associated with warmth, brightness and the pinnacle of natural beauty. By comparing his beloved to a summer's day, Shakespeare establishes a standard of beauty and sets the stage for subsequent images. As the sonnet progresses, Shakespeare contrasts the transitory nature of the summer season with the enduring beauty of the beloved. He emphasizes this contrast through imagery, describing summer days as 'violent winds' that can 'shake the dear buds of May' and stating that 'the summer lease is of all too short a date'. These images of impermanence and instability highlight the limits of seasonal beauty. In contrast, Shakespeare uses imagery to represent the eternal nature of the beloved's beauty. He writes, “But your eternal summer will not fade away.” The use of the word "eternal" conveys a sense of timelessness and immortality, suggesting that the beauty of the loved one will persist beyond fleeting seasons. The Use of Metaphors and Natural Phenomena In Sonnet 18, Shakespeare uses natural phenomena to symbolize the speaker's love for the beloved and their beauty. The poem begins with what might be seen as a rhetorical question: "Shall I compare you to a summer's day?" In the rest of the poem, the speaker continues to answer this question. The idea that the beloved speaker possesses a beauty that surpasses the beauty of a summer's day is evident through the use of comparisons between the beloved and natural phenomena. The speaker begins the praise of the beloved with modesty and slowly begins to build an image of the beauty of the beloved. In line 2 of the poem the speaker states that the beloved is "lovelier and more temperate", the use of these words shows that the speaker is already arguing that a summer's day does not do justice to the beloved. In the next three lines, the speaker seems to re-characterize Summer's preconceived ideas to elevate the image of the loved one's beauty. The use of "The strong winds shake the dear buds of the May contract of the summer has all too short, a date too hot that the eye of the sky shines" is at odds with the image normally held when we think of a day in summer. The use of "And often the golden complexion dims every fair from fair sometimes declines" might suggest that the speaker is realizing that metaphorical comparisons will not be adequate to praise the worth of his beloveds since everything on a summer's day beauty will eventually fade, that is, the sun and dark night will come. Line 9 seems to take a different approach to the comparisons, the speaker now seems to make.