Explication of Sonnet V
Sonnet V is a sonnet written by Shakespeare expressing his feelings about his love. Quatrain One is describing how his love is steadily getting older thanks to the amount of time passing; Shakespeare is speaking in a very admiring tone by saying that gentle work was done on his love throughout the time that had passed. Quatrain Two compares his love towards the sap stuck inside a frozen tree during the winter using a harsher tone than in the first quatrain. An example of this transition would be when Shakespeare states that "For never-resting time leads summer on to hideous winter", by saying the winter is hideous compared to the summer says that he's frustrated that his love is aging. Winter is also a harsh thing to compare his love to, since winter is symbolizes the negative side of death and aging. Quatrain Three conveys the message that beauty is frozen in time because just like the sap is a prisoner in the frozen tree, the beauty is stuck like a prisoner in the aging body of his love. The final couplet says that beauty is forever, not a temporary thing because just like a flower, it can wilt during the winter, but it never truly dies. The tone changes into a more accepting tone, Shakespeare realizes his love with age over time, but he accepts that they will always be beautiful on the inside and their beauty will never fully leave. This central idea introduces the theme that beauty is preserved in an aging body, and no matter how old the person gets, they will always have that beauty inside of them.
Sonnet V is a sonnet written by Shakespeare expressing his feelings about his love. Quatrain One is describing how his love is steadily getting older thanks to the amount of time passing; Shakespeare is speaking in a very admiring tone by saying that gentle work was done on his love throughout the time that had passed. Quatrain Two compares his love towards the sap stuck inside a frozen tree during the winter using a harsher tone than in the first quatrain. An example of this transition would be when Shakespeare states that "For never-resting time leads summer on to hideous winter", by saying the winter is hideous compared to the summer says that he's frustrated that his love is aging. Winter is also a harsh thing to compare his love to, since winter is symbolizes the negative side of death and aging. Quatrain Three conveys the message that beauty is frozen in time because just like the sap is a prisoner in the frozen tree, the beauty is stuck like a prisoner in the aging body of his love. The final couplet says that beauty is forever, not a temporary thing because just like a flower, it can wilt during the winter, but it never truly dies. The tone changes into a more accepting tone, Shakespeare realizes his love with age over time, but he accepts that they will always be beautiful on the inside and their beauty will never fully leave. This central idea introduces the theme that beauty is preserved in an aging body, and no matter how old the person gets, they will always have that beauty inside of them.