Essay Close Reading of "How Soon Hath Time"

The poem is structured in a way which follows the proper metre for a sonnet, however, it is unusual in a sense that it is free verse and has no rhyme scheme. The sentences are broken to fit the iambic pentameter. This creates pauses, and a choppiness in the flow

This sonnet has very smooth and fluid feel to it, most of which can be attributed to the iambic pentameter and Elizabethan sonnet rhyme scheme as well as the numerous sound

The poem is separated into two parts, each with sixteen lines, and is loosely based on an iambic pentameter metre. The rhyme scheme is ABAB throughout the poem, with the noticeable exception of the last four lines of part II, in which it changes to

After reading the Carlos Salgado (2013) essay about the two sonnets the areas of needed improvement is visible. Carlos’s essay is well organized, talking about Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 30” and then talking about Millay’s “Sonnet”. The order of organization provides a better impact and flow to the overall essay. Salgado talks about the main concept, “time as one filled with much sorrow and loss”, of Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 30” in the first body paragraph and then talks about Millay’s “Sonnet” in the second body paragraph. Salgado also does a good job of using quotes as evidence and backup. When describing “Sonnet 30,” the writer says, “The speaker recounts his, “remembrance of things past,” (2) saying he has, “the lack of many a thought”. Both quotes are well integrated into one sentence demonstrating that the level of support for the essay is critical. From the essay written by Carlos Salgado, it shows the absence of a well thought out layout and quoted material in Similarity and Differences in Shakespeare and Millay Sonnets.

Shakespeare follows the English style of sonnets, while Collins partially follows the Petrarchan style. Both sonnets include fourteen lines, a defining feature of the sonnet form. “My mistress’ eyes are…” consists of three quatrains that describes his argument on love cliches, and ends with a couplet, the turning point of English sonnets. The sonnet consists of ten syllables each line, following the rhythm of the iambic pentameter rule. Shakespeare’s sonnet follows the usual rhyme scheme of an English sonnet: abab cdcd efef gg. Collins attempts to stray from the general sonnet principles in contrast with Shakespeare. “Sonnet” loosely follows the Petrarchan style, as the lines are grouped into one octave and one sestet in structure. Collins’s “Sonnet” does not have a rhyme scheme, nor does the poem follow iambic pentameter. His sonnet does, however, present his turn in line 9, the beginning of the sestet. Collins begins poking fun at English sonnets in the octave, but then turns to joke at Petrarchan forms. Both sonnets have a lighthearted, humorous tone and parody classic styles of sonnets in different ways.

In my close reading of “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day”, the first feature I focused on were keywords. The first word that stood out the most “temperate.” The word temperate has multiple meanings. According to the Oxford English Dictionary the word “temperate” can mean “Of persons,

A sonnet is a poem of fourteen lines that rhyme in a particular pattern. William Shakespeare’s sonnets were the only non-dramatic poetry that he wrote. Shakespeare used sonnets within some of his plays, but his sonnets are best known as a series of one hundred and fifty-four poems. The series of one hundred and fifty-four poems tell a story about a young aristocrat and a mysterious mistress. Many people have analyzed and contemplated about the significance of these “lovers”. After analysis of the content of both the “young man” sonnets and the “dark lady sonnets”, it is clear that the poet, Shakespeare, has a great love for the young man and only lusts after his mistress.

In the first quatrain, Shakespeare begins his meditation on the process of decay. He begins the poem with "I", which signals that Shakespeare will later give his own experience and account. The first object presented in this sonnet is a clock, which is to set the mood of the poem.

The sonnet’s meter, on the other hand, is a bit more erratic, and betrays more feeling. Most of the piece is in a steady iambic pentameter, but it varies – four times – just after the “turn” (line 8) of the sonnet. Three of

The first four lines of the sonnet reflect the changing of seasons, and the oncoming of Fall:

The structure of this sonnet corresponds to a Petrarchan sonnet. This is identified by the rhyming scheme “abba abba cde cde”. The sonnet is constructed by an octave, which are two quatrains combined then a sestet following after that.

Shakespeare’s sonnet 60 expresses the inevitable end that comes with time and uses this dark truth to express his hopefulness that his poetry will carry his beloved’s beauty and worth into the future in some way so that it may never die. This love poem is, as all sonnets are, fourteen lines. Three quatrains form these fourteen lines, and each quatrain consists of two lines. Furthermore, the last two lines that follow these quatrains are known as the couplet. This sonnet has the rhyme scheme of ABAB CDCD EFEF GG, as most Shakespearean sonnets follow. In each of the three quatrains, Shakespeare discusses a different idea. In this particular sonnet, the idea is how time continues to pass on, causing everything to die. The couplet connects these ideas to one central theme, this theme being Shakespeare’s hope for the beauty of his beloved’s immortality through his poetry’s continuation into future times.

The first quatrain is already rife with metrical irregularities and each one serves to both mimic and enhance the content of the lines. The first two lines of the sonnet, “Like as the waves make towards the pebbled shore, // So do our minutes hasten to their end” draw an explicit comparison between the crashing waves beating against the shore and the approach of the end of one’s time (1-2). Rather than the traditional unstressed, stressed pattern of iambic pentameter, “Like as…” and “So do…” are trochaic feet, meaning that the form is inverted to stressed, unstressed syllables. By beginning these lines in the same way, the meter serves to draw an even further

Milton’s poetry/sonnets are different from any other. He involves Politics and Religion. In his sonnets he will start them off one way, and then with the last two lines throw a twist on it. This is one reason Milton is famous.

The dictionary refers to time as, "A nonspatial continuum in which events occur in apparently irreversible succession from the past through the present to the future."(Dictionary). "Apparently irreversible", this statement is interesting because using the word apparently still leaves some room for question. Word does that mean? Does that mean we can change time or the events that have occurred in that time? Milton doesn't seem to think that is possible. Because Milton further emphasizes his point when in the first line he personifies time but this time referring to time as the "thief of youth," which reflects somewhat of a bitter tone because time has passed so quickly. This personification the "thief if youth" also parallels and agrees with the dictionary definition of time, the fact that time is irreversible. It appears to the reader that the speaker is very bitter about time passing so quickly and perhaps he feels as if his time has been stolen from him.