Sonnet 15: When I Consider Everything That Grows
When I consider everything that grows
Holds in perfection but a little moment,
That this huge stage presenteth nought but shows
Whereon the stars in secret influence comment;
When I perceive that men as plants increase,
Cheered and check’d even by the selfsame sky,
Vaunt in their youthful sap, at height decrease,
And wear their brave state out of memory;
Then the conceit of this inconstant stay
Sets you most rich in youth before my sight,
Where wasteful Time debateth with Decay
To change your day of youth to sullied night;
And all in war with Time for love of you,
As he takes from you, I engraft you new.
Summary of Sonnet 15: When I consider everything that grows
- Popularity of “Sonnet 15”: Written by William Shakespeare, a great English writer, Sonnet 15 belongs to the series of the poems written for fair youth. This descriptive poem deals with the phenomenon of procreation. The writer suggests the way one can preserve beauty for long. The poem has become popular among the readers on account of its writing style and philosophical approach.
- “Sonnet 15” As a Representative of Nature: This poem illustrates the destructive nature of time versus man’s desire. It begins when the speaker wonders about the law of nature that everything in nature exists for a brief moment of perfection. He compares this world to a stage where stars exert their illusion through their hidden influence. Moreover, he wonders how people grow as plants grow under the shade of the mighty sky. They spend their youth, and after touching their prime, they begin to decline. The image of this short stay on earth makes him think about his friend. Unlike others, his friend’s beauty will also vanish from the earth. However, the speaker does not surrender in front of the destructive time. Instead, he goes against and preserves his friend’s beauty in his verses. He believes these words will renew his friend’s life even after his demise.
- Major Themes in “Sonnet 15”: Man versus nature, mortality versus immortality and beauty are the poem’s major themes. On the one hand, the poem expresses the speaker’s infinite love for his friend. While on the other hand, he comments on the nature of fragile life. He explains how everything in the universe lives for a specific time. Once it reaches its bloom, it starts declining. Therefore, he wishes to cherish the enchanting beauty of his friend in his verses so that people would be able to praise him for a long time. Through this simple poem, he conveys a profound message that man is mortal; he should taste the fruits of life.
Analysis of Literary Devices Used in Sonnet 15
literary devices are the writer’s strength which they use to make their writings last forever. Shakespeare has also used literary devices in the poem such as imagery, symbolism along with other rhetorical devices. The analysis of the devices used in the poem is as follows.
- Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line such as the sound of /e/ in “When I consider everything that grows” and the sound of /i/ in “Cheered and check’d even by the selfsame sky.”
- Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line such as the sound of /r/ in “And wear their brave state out of memory” and the sound of /t/ in “Vaunt in their youthful sap, at height decrease.”
- Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. Shakespeare has used imagery in this poem such as, “That this huge stage presenteth nought but shows” and “Where wasteful Time debateth with Decay.”
- Metaphor: It is a figure of speech in which an implied comparison is made between the objects that are different in nature. The poet has used the extended metaphors of nature and immortality just to show how physical objects in nature are short-lived.
- Simile: It is a device used to compare something with something else to make the meanings clear to the readers. Shakespeare has used this device in the fifth line of the poem such as “When I perceive that men as plants increase.”
- Symbolism: Symbolism is using symbols to signify ideas and qualities, giving them symbolic meanings that are different from the literal meanings. Shakespeare has used symbols like, time, decay, beauty, truth and mortality.
Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in Sonnet 15
Poetic and literary devices are the same, but a few are used only in poetry. Here is the analysis of some of the poetic devices used in this poem.
- Couplet: There are two constructive lines of verses in a couplet, usually having the same meter and rhyme scheme. This sonnet ends with a couplet, which usually reveals the central idea of the poem such as;
“And all in war with Time for love of you,
As he takes from you, I engraft you new.”
- End Rhyme: End rhyme means the rhyming of the ending words. Shakespeare has used end rhyme in this poem, such as “grows/shows” “stay/decay” and “you/new.”
- Iambic Pentameter: It is a type of meter having five iambs per line. The sonnet follows iambic pentameter, such as “When I perceive that men as plants increase.” Quatrain: A quatrain is a four-lined stanza borrowed from Persian poetry. Here each the first one and the second one are quatrains.
- Rhyme Scheme: The sonnet follows ABABCDCD and EFEFGG rhyme schemes.
- 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 anyone to use when talking about the fleeting nature of time.
“When I perceive that men as plants increase,
Cheered and check’d even by the selfsame sky,
Vaunt in their youthful sap, at height decrease,
And wear their brave state out of memory.”
