Sonnet 55
Not marble nor the gilded monuments
Of princes shall outlive this powerful rhyme,
But you shall shine more bright in these contents
Than unswept stone besmeared with sluttish time.
When wasteful war shall statues overturn,
And broils root out the work of masonry,
Nor Mars his sword nor war’s quick fire shall burn
The living record of your memory.
’Gainst death and all-oblivious enmity
Shall you pace forth; your praise shall still find room
Even in the eyes of all posterity
That wear this world out to the ending doom.
So, till the Judgement that yourself arise,
You live in this, and dwell in lovers’ eyes.
Introduction
I found myself attracted to Sonnet 55 as it examined the concept of an everlasting legacy, which forms the basis of many of my actions. I consistently revisit the idea of making an enduring impact on those around me, and I greatly enjoy the idea of permanent preservation of a memory within a piece of writing.
Shakespeare’s pursuit to describe the lasting qualities of his subject’s legacy sets the dark, devouring characteristics of time’s passage against the subject’s bright, powerful memory, which drew me in. I particularly appreciate the juxtaposition of words such as “praise” and “shine” against the concepts of “war,” “fire,” and “death.” Sonnet 55 ultimately secured my attention with its exploration of oblivion in relation to the life of a legacy, and the rhythmic, contrasting language enhanced my interest.
Analysis
Natural and Manmade Constructions Against the Corrosive Effects of Time in the First Quatrain of Shakespeare’s Sonnet 55
Shakespeare’s Sonnet 55 examines the legacy of a person through contrasts between material constructions and the long-lasting written word, which serve to accentuate the caustic qualities of time. In his first line, the speaker uses marble, known for its elegance and resilience, to create a hyperbole in which even the most durable of earthly materials cannot outlive the subject’s memory. Then, as the speaker details how the “gilded monuments / Of princes” cannot outlast the subject’s legacy, he comments on the royal predisposition to monumental construction as nobility yearns to be remembered magnificently. Additionally, he implies that the glories of royal construction will neither equate to nor outlast the subject’s memory. Lines three and four describe the subject’s legacy as a radiant light that “shall shine more bright” than aged stone, and the erosion of stone again presents itself as a focus of the speaker. The emphasis on enduring earthly materials in relation to the subject’s memory suggests the speaker’s history, in which stones have long acted as the most durable materials, and therefore hold the position for the most suitable comparison.
The last line of the quatrain describes the stone as “besmeared with sluttish time,” which reveals once again the speaker’s view of time as a destructive entity. Specifically, the speaker utilizes the words “besmeared” and “sluttish” in reference to time’s effects on the stone, both of which hold negative connotations. The speaker in Sonnet 55 utilizes comparisons between the effects of time on mortal and earthly constructions as well as on the memory of his subject in order to emphasize the longevity of his writing and the enduring legacy of the poem’s subject.
Sonnet 55
