Sonnet 123
No, Time, thou shalt not boast that I do change:
Thy pyramids built up with newer might
To me are nothing novel, nothing strange;
They are but dressings of a former sight.
Our dates are brief, and therefore we admire
What thou dost foist upon us that is old,
And rather make them born to our desire
Than think that we before have heard them told.
Thy registers and thee I both defy,
Not wondering at the present nor the past;
For thy records and what we see doth lie,
Made more or less by that continual haste.
This I do vow, and this shall ever be:
I will be true, despite thy scythe and thee.
Summary of Sonnet 123
- context & Purpose: This sonnet is part of Shakespeare’s “Fair Youth” sequence (Sonnets 1‑126). The poet addresses a young man, reflecting on how time shapes beauty and memory. In this poem he challenges Time itself, insisting that his own truth will endure.
- Key Idea: The speaker refuses to let Time claim that he has changed. He sees the monuments of the past—“pyramids”—as mere adornments of what was already there. Because human life is short, we value old things as if they were new. Yet the poet argues that it is our haste, not Time, that distorts history.
- Central Theme: The tension between permanence and transience. Shakespeare presents Time as a relentless force but also shows how human perception can resist or reinterpret its effects.
Analysis of Literary Devices in Sonnet 123
- allusion: The poem calls upon the “pyramids” and the personified “Time,” linking the sonnet to ancient monuments and the universal concept of time’s passage.
- alliteration: Repeated consonant sounds appear in lines such as “nothing novel, nothing strange” (n‑sound) and “what we before have heard them told” (h‑sound), creating musicality.
- apostrophe: The speaker directly addresses Time (“No, Time, thou shalt not boast”), giving the abstract idea a voice.
- assonance & Consonance: Vowel repetition in “Thy pyramids built up with newer might” (i‑sound) and consonant clusters in “What thou dost foist upon us that is old” (d‑and‑s sounds) enhance the poem’s sonic texture.
- enjambment: Lines flow into one another without pause, e.g.
“What thou dost foist upon us that is old,
And rather make them born to our desire
Than think that we before have heard them told.”
This keeps the reader’s attention moving forward. - imagery: The “pyramids” and the “scythe of Time” paint vivid pictures, allowing readers to feel the weight of history and mortality.
- metaphor: Time is compared to a scythe that cuts all things; pyramids symbolize enduring monuments that are merely “dressings.”
- personification: Time is given human qualities—boasting, scything—making the abstract concept relatable.
- symbolism: The pyramid (lasting structure), the scythe (death), and the “records” (history) all symbolize larger ideas about permanence, change, and memory.
Analysis of Poetic Devices in Sonnet 123
- diction: Shakespeare uses formal, archaic language (“thou,” “doth”) that fits the sonnet’s serious tone.
- end rhyme & Rhyme Scheme: The poem follows an ABAB CDCD EFEF GG pattern typical of a Petrarchan sonnet. Example: “change/strange” and “might/sight.”
- stanza Structure: Two stanzas—an octave (8 lines) and a sestet (6 lines)—create the classic sonnet form.
- tone: The speaker’s voice is defiant yet reflective, balancing intellectual argument with emotional conviction.
Key Quotes for Discussion
For thy records and what we see doth lie,
Made more or less by that continual haste.
This I do vow, and this shall ever be:
I will be true, despite thy scythe and thee.
These lines encapsulate the poem’s central claim: history is shaped by human action, not merely by Time, and the speaker vows to remain steadfast in truth.