Sonnet 16: But Wherefore Do Not You a Mightier Way Analysis

Sonnet 16: But Wherefore Do Not You a Mightier Way

By William Shakespeare

But wherefore do not you a mightier way
Make war upon this bloody tyrant, Time?
And fortify your self in your decay
With means more blessed than my barren rhyme?
Now stand you on the top of happy hours,
And many maiden gardens, yet unset,
With virtuous wish would bear you living flowers,
Much liker than your painted counterfeit:
So should the lines of life that life repair,
Which this, Time’s pencil, or my pupil pen,
Neither in inward worth nor outward fair,
Can make you live your self in eyes of men.
To give away yourself, keeps yourself still,
And you must live, drawn by your own sweet skill.

Summary of Sonnet 16: But Wherefore Do Not You a Mightier Way

Popularity of “Sonnet 16”: Written by William Shakespeare, a renowned English writer, poet, and actor, “Sonnet 16” is another beautiful part of his procreation sonnets. This sonnet also revolves around a fair youth. The writer tries to encourage him to become a father and have children. The poem won praise for Shakespeare on account of its themes, style, and structure.
“Sonnet 16” As a Representative of Nature: This poem is the finest example of love and care. It begins when the speaker addresses the young man and reminds him that his fight is against a deadly time. He reminds him that time is constantly taking away his youthful appearance day by day. Therefore, realizing the fatal reality, the young man should think about marriage. To the speaker, he should have children to carry his name better than the verses the writer is devoting him. He further adds that the youth is enjoying his prime time. Therefore, many women wish to marry him and bear his offspring. Moreover, a child will represent his beauty more than anything else. Toward the end, the writer tries to reinforce his ideas once again that time is destructive and lethal. It will indeed affect him sooner or later. Therefore, he should have someone to carry his likeness and genes.
Major Themes in “Sonnet 16”: The destructive power of time, the importance of relations, and love are the major themes of the poem. Throughout the poem, the writer tries to explain why it is important to utilize time. He not only praises the matchless beauty of the young man but also suggests him ways to preserve this nature’s gift. He indicates that his age is perfect for marriage. Therefore, he should give up self-destroying ideas and should listen to what the speaker wants to convey. Through this simple poem, the writer beautifully shows the idea of the generation gap. He shows how young and old brains can never think alike. The speaker, being witty, tries to pinpoint the proximal future of the young man. He wants him to take healthy decisions in life. However, the passive youth seems unimpressed with the writer’s philosophical ideas.

Analysis of Literary Devices Used in Sonnet 16: But Wherefore Do Not You a Mightier Way

Literary devices are the poets’ tools that allow them to add variety to their simple poetic pieces. Shakespeare also used many devices in the poem, The analysis is as follows.

Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line such as the sound of /e/ in “With means more blessed than my barren rhyme” and the sound of /i/ in “With virtuous wish would bear you living flowers.”
Alliteration: Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line in quick succession such as the sound of /n/ in “Neither in inward worth nor outward fair” and the sound of /w/ in “With virtuous wish would bear you living flowers.”
Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line such as the sound of /s/ in “To give away yourself, keeps yourself still,” and the sound of /n/ in “Now stand you on the top of happy hours.”
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;

“But wherefore do not you a mightier way
Make war upon this bloody tyrant, Time?
And fortify your self in your decay
With means more blessed than my barren rhyme?”

Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. Shakespeare has used imagery in this poem, such as; “Which this, Time’s pencil, or my pupil pen”, “Now stand you on the top of happy hours,” and “Can make you live yourself in eyes of men.”
Metaphor: It is a figure of speech in which an implied comparison is made between objects that are different in nature. The writer has used marriage as an extended metaphor in the poem to shed light on its importance.
Rhetorical Question: Rhetorical question is a question that is not asked to receive an answer; it is just posed to make the point clear. Shakespeare posed rhetorical questions in the opening lines of the poem to emphasize his point, such as; “With means more blessed than my barren rhyme?” and “Make war upon this bloody tyrant, Time?”

Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in Sonnet 16: But Wherefore Do Not You a Mightier Way

Poetic and literary devices are the same, but a few are used only in poetry. Here is an 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;

“To give away yourself, keeps yourself still,
And you must live, drawn by your own sweet skill.”

End Rhyme: End rhyme means the rhyming of the ending words. Shakespeare has used end rhyme in this poem, such as “way/decay” “time/rhyme” and “still/skill.”
Iambic Pentameter: It is a type of meter having five iambs per line. The sonnet follows iambic pentameter such as; “And you must live, drawn by your own sweet”
Quatrain: A quatrain is a four-lined stanza borrowed from Persian poetry. There are three quatrains in this poem.
Rhyme Scheme: The sonnet follows the ABABCDCD rhyme scheme in the octave and EFEFGG in its sestet.
Sonnet: A sonnet is a fourteen-lined poem usually written in iambic pentameter. This Shakespearean sonnet consists of three quatrains and one couplet.

Quotes to be Used

The following lines are useful to quote when talking about the ways one can make preserve his name for future generations.