Sonnet 19: Devouring Time, blunt thou the lion’s paws
Devouring Time, blunt thou the lion’s paws,
And make the earth devour her own sweet brood;
Pluck the keen teeth from the fierce tiger’s jaws,
And burn the long-liv’d Phoenix in her blood;
Make glad and sorry seasons as thou fleets,
And do whate’er thou wilt, swift-footed Time,
To the wide world and all her fading sweets;
But I forbid thee one more heinous crime:
O, carve not with thy hours my love’s fair brow,
Nor draw no lines there with thine antique pen!
Him in thy course untainted do allow
For beauty’s pattern to succeeding men.
Yet do thy worst, old Time! Despite thy wrong
My love shall in my verse ever live young.
Summary of Sonnet 19: Devouring Time, blunt thou the lion’s paws
- Popularity of “Sonnet 19”: Written by William Shakespeare, a legendary actor, writer and poet, Sonnet 19 is a descriptive poem. It mediates the fleeting nature of beauty and youth. It also explains how the writer uses his pen and poetic intellect to preserve his friend’s beauty in his verses by defeating the devouring force of time. The sonnet earned praise for Shakespeare on account of its style and structure.
- “Sonnet 19” As a Representative of Natural World: This poem recounts the time’s noticeable effect on nature and man. The poem begins when the speaker comments on the ravages of nature of time. Despite knowing that time can alter everything, the poet wants time to leave his friend’s beauty unchangeable. However, he knows that he desires for something which is impossible. Therefore, he finds another way to make his friend mortal. He confidently informs the readers that his friend will gain immortality as the subject of his poems. Because poetry, to him, is eternal and his friend’s beauty will always shine in his verses. Beating a physical entity, the youth will eventually get old and die, but in the poems, he will remain forever green.
- Major Themes in “Sonnet 19”: Destructive nature of time, immortality, and love are the major themes of the poem. The sonnet comments on the fleeting nature of time and its impacts on the natural world. Every physical object remains beautiful for a certain period of time. After enjoying the bloom, it eventually fades away. The speaker knows that his friend’s beauty will meet the same end. So, first, he asks for time not to treat his friend differently. But he knows that his desire is wild, and it is impossible for the fair youth to become beautiful for a long time. However, he feels satisfied and excited to preserve his friend’s beauty in his sonnets. It also shows his unconditional love for the fair youth; he not only adores his beauty but also makes it exemplary for the upcoming generations.
Analysis of Literary Devices Used in Sonnet 19: Devouring Time, blunt thou the lion’s paws
literary devices are essential tools that the writers use to enhance and intensify the overall meanings of the poems. Shakespeare also 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 “Pluck the keen teeth from the fierce tiger’s jaws” and the sound of /o/ in “O, carve not with thy hours my love’s fair brow.”
- Alliteration: Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line in quick succession such as the sound of /s/ in “sorry seasons as thou fleets” and the sound of /th/ in “thou the lion’s paws.”
- Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line such as the sound of /n/ in “And burn the long-liv’d Phoenix in her blood,” and the sound of /r/ in “O, carve not with thy hours my love’s fair brow.”
- 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;
“Him in thy course untainted do allow
For beauty’s pattern to succeeding men.
Yet do thy worst, old Time! Despite thy wrong
My love shall in my verse ever live young?”
- Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. Shakespeare used imagery in this poem, such as “Devouring Time, blunt thou the lion’s paws,”, “O, carve not with thy hours my love’s fair brow,” and “My love shall in my verse ever live young.”
- 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 time as an extended metaphor to show how it transforms physical objects ruthlessly.
Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in Sonnet 19: Devouring Time, blunt thou the lion’s paws
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 poem’s central idea.
- End Rhyme: End rhyme means the rhyming of the ending words. Shakespeare has used end rhyme in this poem, such as “paws/jaws” “time/crime” and “brow/allow.”
- Iambic Pentameter: It is a type of meter having five iambs per line. The sonnet follows iambic pentameter, such as “And make the earth devour her own sweet brood.”
- Quatrain: A quatrain is a four-lined stanza borrowed from Persian poetry. There are three quatrains in this poem.
- Rhyme Scheme: The poem 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 for a person while talking about the constantly changing cycle of time.
“Devouring Time, blunt thou the lion’s paws,
And make the earth devour her own sweet brood;
Pluck the keen teeth from the fierce tiger’s jaws,
And burn the long-liv’d Phoenix in her blood.”
