Sonnet 17: Who Will Believe My Verse in Time to Come Analysis

Sonnet 17: Who Will Believe My Verse in Time to Come

By William Shakespeare

Who will believe my verse in time to come,
If it were filled with your most high deserts?
Though yet heaven knows it is but as a tomb
Which hides your life, and shows not half your parts.
If I could write the beauty of your eyes,
And in fresh numbers number all your graces,
The age to come would say ‘This poet lies;
Such heavenly touches ne’er touched earthly faces.’
So should my papers, yellowed with their age,
Be scorned, like old men of less truth than tongue,
And your true rights be termed a poet’s rage
And stretched metre of an antique song:
But were some child of yours alive that time,
You should live twice, in it, and in my rhyme.

Summary of Sonnet 17: Who Will Believe My Verse in Time to Come

Popularity of “Sonnet 17”: Written by William Shakespeare, a great poet and writer, “Sonnet 17” is a descriptive poem. “Sonnet 17” is the last procreation sonnet written for the fair youth. The poem shows the speaker’s infinite love and praise for the beauty of the unknown addressee. It also shows his concern that future generations may fail to imagine the grandeur of the fair youth being praised in his poems. The sonnet touches various hearts because of the description of man’s doubtful nature.
“Sonnet 17” As a Representative of Fear: This sonnet expresses the speaker’s concern regarding the beauty of his friend. It begins when he says that in the future, people may not believe that he has tried to depict the mesmerizing beauty of his friend in his verses. The fair youth is an epitome of beauty as the writer describes him, but few readers would trust his words. Therefore, the writer’s verses praising the youth are like a tomb that hides many of his friend’s qualities from the world. He believes that these short poems are not enough to talk about the beauty his friend possesses. As the poem continues, the speaker says that if he tries to list all his qualities, the future generation will accuse him of fantasizing about his friend’s beauty. He fears that their doubts would raise various questions about his writings. The youth’s beauty deserves to be praised and would be dismissed as a mere fabrication of the writer’s fevered imagination. In the concluding lines, he comes up with a solution. He thinks that if the fair youth had a child, he will live twice.
Major Themes in “Sonnet 17”: Fear, perseverance of beauty, and man’s nature are the poem’s major themes. This sonnet presents a stark comparison of youth’s lasting beauty versus the perception of the upcoming generation. The writer, being spellbound by the fair youth’s appearance, tries to capture his beauty in his verses. However, he fears that the future generation would consider his poem as a work of mare imagination. They may not be able to feel the charisma of the fair youth. The speaker fears they won’t be able to perceive his beauty with their eyes, so they may not take his words seriously. He fears that the praise he has heaped upon the youth’s beauty would not win the honor he deserves. Therefore, the youth should bear a child not only to transfer his beauty but also to validate his thoughts about his beauty and charm.

Analysis of Literary Devices Used in Sonnet 17: Who Will Believe My Verse in Time to Come

Literary devices are the poets’ tools that allow them to express their unique ideas, and emotions effectively. Shakespeare has 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 “Who will believe my verse in time to come” and the sound of /i/ in “You should live twice, in it, and in my rhyme..”
Alliteration: Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line in quick succession such as the sound of /w/ in “Who will believe my verse in time to come,” and the sound of /s/ in “So should my papers.”
Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line such as the sound of /r/ in “And your true rights be termed a poet’s rage,” and the sound of /h/ in “Which hides your life, and shows not half your parts.”
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;

“Though yet heaven knows it is but as a tomb
Which hides your life, and shows not half your parts.”

Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. Shakespeare has used imagery in this poem such as “If it were filled with your most high deserts?”, “So should my papers, yellowed with their age,” and “And stretched metre of an antique song.”
Metaphor: It is a figure of speech in which an implied comparison is made between the objects that are different in nature. The writer has used the transience of life as an extended metaphor to show the mortality of human beings.
Rhetorical Question: Rhetorical question is a question that is not asked in order to receive an answer; it is just posed to make the point clear. Shakespeare has posed rhetorical questions in the opening lines of the poem to emphasize his point such as “If it were filled with your most high deserts?”

Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in Sonnet 17: Who Will Believe My Verse in Time to Come

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;

“But were some child of yours alive that time,
You should live twice, in it, and in my rhyme.”

End Rhyme: End rhyme means the rhyming of the ending words. Shakespeare has used end rhyme in this poem such as “rhyme/time” “eyes/lies” and “age/rage.”
Iambic Pentameter: It is a type of meter having five iambs per line. The sonnet follows iambic pentameter such as; “Who will believe my verse in time to come.”
Quatrain: A quatrain is a four-lined stanza borrowed from Persian poetry. There are three quatrains in this poem.
Rhyme Scheme: The sonnet follows ABABCDCD in its 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 when talking about the benefits of getting married at a young age.