Sonnet 106 Analysis - Literary devices and Poetic devices

Sonnet 106: When in the Chronicle of Wasted Time

When in the chronicle of wasted time
I see descriptions of the fairest wights,
And beauty making beautiful old rhyme
In praise of ladies dead and lovely knights,
Then, in the blazon of sweet beauty’s best,
Of hand, of foot, of lip, of eye, of brow,
I see their antique pen would have express’d
Even such a beauty as you master now.
So all their praises are but prophecies
Of this our time, all you prefiguring;
And, for they look’d but with divining eyes,
They had not skill enough your worth to sing:
For we, which now behold these present days,
Have eyes to wonder, but lack tongues to praise.

Meanings of Sonnet 106: When In the Chronicle of Wasted Time

The sonnet “Sonnet 106” by William Shakespeare presents the main idea of the beauty of a young man in an anonymous setting and time. The comparison of the beauty of the youth with the depiction of the same in the past art or in the chronicle sets the whole theme of the poem.

Meanings of Lines 1-8

When in the chronicle of wasted time
I see descriptions of the fairest wights,
And beauty making beautiful old rhyme
In praise of ladies dead and lovely knights,
Then, in the blazon of sweet beauty’s best,
Of hand, of foot, of lip, of eye, of brow,
I see their antique pen would have express’d
Even such a beauty as you master now.

Shakespeare or his speaker starts the very first line of the sonnet with the mention of the past time saying when he sees the descriptions of the fairest youths in the historical documents of the past; he goes through the poetic output of the ancient times to glance at the poems written in praise of great ladies and handsome knights. However, when he sees this young man’s hands, feet, lips, and brows compared to the beautiful descriptions given in those poems, he thinks that the ancient poets would have expressed this beauty of the young man more expertly and in beautiful terms. These lines set the stage for the main idea that the beauty of the youth excels all the beautiful descriptions given in the poetry and ancient historical documents.

Meanings of Lines 9-12

So all their praises are but prophecies
Of this our time, all you prefiguring;
And, for they look’d but with divining eyes,
They had not skill enough your worth to sing:

Therefore, the speaker concludes that although the writers of the ancient times have praised beauties of the great ladies and knights when those descriptions are compared with the beauty of the young man present now, it seems that all those praises are just prophecies. It seems that they have already prefigured this beauty. Although they, the writers of ancient times, look with eyes full of prophecies, they do not possess the skill to write good poetry or ballads in the glory of the beauty of this youth. These verses add to the main theme of the sonnet by exaggerating the beauty of the fair youth even more.

Meanings of Lines 13-14

For we, which now behold these present days,
Have eyes to wonder, but lack tongues to praise.

This is the final couplet of the sonnet. It states that the poet, along with other writers, tells that as they are now present and look at the beauty of the youth, they are surprised to see that even now the poets do not have the skill to capture the beauty of such a fair youth. Only the poet dares to state this as no other writer has ever stated the same thing. This couplet contributes to the main idea of the beauty of the youth by saying that even now there is a dearth of the poets to write poems about the beauty of such a youth.

Summary of Sonnet 106: When In the Chronicle of Wasted Time

Popularity of “Sonnet 106”: Written by William Shakespeare, a great writer and poet, “Sonnet 106” is a love poem. It first appeared in 1609 in a series of sonnets written to praise the beauty of a fair youth. This sonnet is about the unmatchable beauty of the speaker’s friend. The speaker claims that previously written love poems were rather the foreshadowing of his beauty. The poem won popularity due to its subject matter of love and its impact on humankind.
“Sonnet 106” As a Representative of Love: This poem revolves around the concept of beauty. It begins when the speaker reads about the descriptions of the most beautiful people of the past. In those chronicles, he finds appealing and attractive poems about the fairest ladies and lovely knights. Although people with antique beauty are dead now, he claims that his friend possesses all the qualities expressed in those chronicles. To him, his friend’s foot, brows, eyes, and lips exhibit the same beauty described in ancient works. He is so thrilled at his friend’s beauty that he thinks older people prophesied the mesmerizing beauty of the fair youth ages ago. He is amazed at the divine approach they used to predict the unique beauty prior to his birth. Unfortunately, they could not live to cherish the beauty they described. However, presently, people feel amazed seeing his friend’s beauty. But he fears their biased approach when he says that they may get attracted to him but do not praise him genuinely.
Major Themes in “Sonnet 106”: Obsession, praise, love, and beauty are the poem’s central themes. This poem is primarily about the speaker’s obsession with his friend’s beauty. He thinks nothing in the world can beat him in beauty and looks. He even feels that historic writings did not mention the beauty of old times. Instead, the ancient writers foreshadowed the beauty of the fair youth in their love poems. He claims even though his forerunners described beauty from every angle, the fair youth’s beauty is immeasurable and unique. Through this simple poem, the writer unfolds that when a person falls in love, he makes his love the center of attraction. Unlike the speaker, every man thinks his beloved is the most beautiful person in the world.

Analysis of Literary Devices Used in Sonnet 106: When In the Chronicle of Wasted Time

literary devices are modes that writers use to add quality and uniqueness to their simple poems. William Shakespeare has used many literary devices in the poem whose analysis is as follows.

Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line such as the sound of /e/ in “I see their antique pen would have express’d” and the sound of /o/ in “Of hand, of foot, of lip, of eye, of brow,.”
Alliteration: Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line in quick succession such as the sound of /f/ in “Of hand, of foot, of lip, of eye, of brow,” and the sound of /t/ in “lack tongues to praise.”
Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line such as the sound of /t/ in “Then, in the blazon of sweet beauty’s best” and the sound of /n/ in “When in the chronicle of wasted time.”
Enjambment: It is defined as a thought in verse that does not come to an end at a line break; rather, it rolls over to the next line. For example;

When in the chronicle of wasted time
I see descriptions of the fairest wights,
And beauty making beautiful old rhyme
In praise of ladies dead and lovely knights,

Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. Shakespeare has used imagery in this poem such as; “I see their antique pen would have express’d”, “And, for they look’d but with divining eyes” and “Have eyes to wonder, but lack tongues to praise.”
Irony: Irony is a figure of speech in which words are used in a way that their intended meaning is different from the actual meaning of the words. This is an ironic poem; the speaker ironically mentions historic poems to speak about the beauty of his friends.
Metaphor: It is a figure of speech in which an implied comparison is made between objects that are different in nature. The poet has used love as an extended metaphor to show how it makes people think beyond imagination.
Symbolism: Symbolism is using symbols to signify ideas and qualities, giving them symbolic meanings that are different from the literal meanings. The poem used symbols such as love, praise, beauty, and the power of writing.

Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in Sonnet 106: When In the Chronicle of Wasted Time

Poetic devices such as rhyme scheme, stanza form, diction, and repetition set appropriate structure in the poems. Shakespeare has used the following poetic devices in the poems.

Couplet: There are two constructive lines of verse in a couplet, usually in the same meter and joined by rhyme. This sonnet ends with a couplet, which usually reveals the central idea of the poem.
End Rhyme: End Rhyme is used to make the stanza melodious. Shakespeare has used end rhyme in this poem such as; “days/praise” “time/rhyme” and “brow/now.”
Iambic Pentameter: It is a type of meter having five iambs per line the poem follows iambic pentameter such as; “When in the chronicle of wasted time.”
Rhyme Scheme: The poem follows ABAB CDCD in its octave and EFEF GG rhyme scheme in its sestet.
Sonnet: A sonnet is a fourteen-lined poem usually written in iambic pentameter. This Shakespearean sonnet consists of three quatrains and a couplet.

Quotes to be Used

The following lines are useful for speeches or lectures to make people aware of the iconic historic tales of beautiful ladies and lovely knights.