William Shakespeare - Sonnet XVIII

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William Shakespeare's Sonnet XVIII is a masterful exploration of love and beauty, comparing the beloved's beauty to a summer's day. The poem begins with the question, "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?" and proceeds to argue that the beloved's beauty is superior due to its enduring nature, unlike the fleeting beauty of summer[1][3]. Shakespeare uses vivid imagery and metaphors to highlight the beloved's eternal beauty, contrasting it with the impermanence of natural beauty[2][4]. The sonnet is structured in 14 lines with a rhyme scheme of ababcdcdefefgg, written in iambic pentameter. Shakespeare employs personification and figurative language to emphasize the beloved's beauty and its transcendence over time and death[1][4]. The poem concludes by asserting that the beloved's beauty will live on through the poem itself, making it immortal[3][5]. This theme of love and beauty as preserved through art is central to the sonnet's enduring appeal.