Critical appreciation of Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18.
Answer: Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18: “Shall I Compare thee to a Summer’s Day?” is the poet’s great tribute to his friend. This sonnet is a famous one of Shakespeare’s sonnets cycles consisting of 154 pieces. The sonnet does not clearly state who the young man is but a reading of the poet’s sonnets in general would direct our attention to the Earl of Southampton. The diction and language of the poem are ornate and pictorial. The sonnet has musical quality and intensity of feelings. It is dramatic and logical in presentation of the subject. It is divided into three quatrains and a concluding couplet. The rhyme scheme of the sonnet is: abab, cdcd, efef, gg. All these suggest that the sonnet is a typical Shakespearean sonnet. Shakespeare glorifies the beauty of his friend. The poem begins dramatically with a question addressed to the poet's friend: “ Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?” Summer is traditionally held beautiful in England. The season stands for youth, vivacity...