Shall I Compare Thee To A Summer’s Day Questions and answers

We have provided Shall I Compare Thee To A Summer’s Day Questions and answers

Table of Contents

• Q: Who wrote, “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?”
• Q: What is the tone of the poem?
• Q: What is the message of the poem?
• Q: What literary devices are used in the poem?
• Q: Is the poem a sonnet?
• Q: What is the significance of the number of lines in the poem?
• Q: Who is the speaker in “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?”
• Q: What is the main theme of the poem?
• Q: What is the rhyme scheme of the sonnet?
• Q: What is the structure of the sonnet?
• Q: What is the meaning of the line “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?”
• Q: Why is the sonnet considered important in literature?
• “So long times this.” – What is referred to by the word ‘this’? 
• How long will the young man be remembered in Shakespeare’s sonnet No. 18?
• What will make the beauty of the poet’s friend eternal?
• In which month can the ‘darling buds’ be seen?
• ‘And Summer’s lease hath all too short a date.’ – what is meant by ‘summer’s lease’?
• What does the ‘eye of heaven’ refer to?
• How is the ‘gold complexion’ of the sun dimmed?
• What shall death not brag about in Shakespeare’s sonnet No. 18?
• Which season is mentioned in Sonnet No.18?
• How does Shakespeare compare the beauty of his friend to that of a summer’s day?
• What do the rough winds do? What does the poet mean by ‘summer’s lease’? How is the friend’s beauty superior to the summer’s day?
• “And every fair from fair sometime declines.”–  From which poem is the line quoted? Who is the poet? Briefly explain the meaning of the quoted line. How does the poet promise to immortalize his friend’s beauty? 

Q: Who wrote, “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?”

A: “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?” was written by William Shakespeare.

Q: What is the tone of the poem?

A: The tone of the poem is admiring and loving, with the speaker expressing his deep admiration and love for his beloved.

Q: What is the message of the poem?

A: The message of the poem is that the speaker’s love and admiration for his beloved is eternal and will never fade, unlike the beauty of summer. The speaker is expressing his determination to preserve the beauty of his beloved through the written word.

Q: What literary devices are used in the poem?

A: The poem uses several literary devices, including metaphors, similes, and personification. The comparisons between the beloved and summer, and between the sun and the beloved, are examples of metaphor. The personification of the sun as a fading light is an example of personification.

Q: Is the poem a sonnet?

A: Yes, “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?” is a sonnet, a form of poetry that typically consists of 14 lines and a strict rhyme scheme.

Q: What is the significance of the number of lines in the poem?

A: The number of lines in the poem, 14, is significant because it is the standard number of lines for a sonnet. The strict structure of the sonnet form helped to guide Shakespeare’s writing and gave him a framework within which to explore his themes.

Q: Who is the speaker in “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?”

A: The speaker in the poem is not named, but is commonly assumed to be a male who is addressing his beloved.

Q: What is the main theme of the poem?

A: The main theme of the poem is love and beauty, with the speaker expressing his admiration for the beauty of his beloved.

Q: What is the rhyme scheme of the sonnet?

A: The rhyme scheme of the sonnet is ABAB CDCD EFEF GG.

Q: What is the structure of the sonnet?

A: The structure of the sonnet is a traditional 14-line sonnet in iambic pentameter, with the first 12 lines forming three quatrains and the final two lines forming a rhyming couplet.

Q: What is the meaning of the line “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?”

A: The line “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?” is a rhetorical question, with the speaker expressing his admiration for his beloved and considering whether he can do justice to that admiration through comparison.

Q: Why is the sonnet considered important in literature?

A: The sonnet is considered important in literature because it is one of the most famous examples of the sonnet form, and is considered a masterpiece of the English language. The themes of love and beauty explored in the poem are timeless, and the poem’s structure and language have had a lasting influence on English literature.

“So long times this.” – What is referred to by the word ‘this’? 

“This” refers to the sonnet “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day” of Shakespeare.

How long will the young man be remembered in Shakespeare’s sonnet No. 18?

Men will remember the young man forever, as long as they can breathe or see.

What will make the beauty of the poet’s friend eternal?

The beautiful and immortal lines in the sonnet will make the poet’s friend’s beauty last forever.

In which month can the ‘darling buds’ be seen?

The ‘darling buds’ can be seen in May.

‘And Summer’s lease hath all too short a date.’ – what is meant by ‘summer’s lease’?

Summer’s lease’ means the duration of summer which is very short.

What does the ‘eye of heaven’ refer to?

‘Eye of heaven’ refers to the sun.

How is the ‘gold complexion’ of the sun dimmed?

The ‘gold complexion’ of the sun is dimmed by the clouds.

What shall death not brag about in Shakespeare’s sonnet No. 18?

Death shall not brag to the poet’s friend to wonder in his shade.

Which season is mentioned in Sonnet No.18?

The season mentioned in the Sonnet No.18, Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day is summer.

How does Shakespeare compare the beauty of his friend to that of a summer’s day?

A. William Shakespeare begins the poem with a question – ‘Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?’ But the poet declines the idea as he believes that his friend is more lovely and more restrained than summer’s day. The Summer has its drawback.  It is not permanent. The violent winds destroy beautiful flowers. The duration of summer is too short a date. Sometimes the sun is too hot and sometimes its gold complexion is dimmed by clouds. In this way, the poet excels at his friend’s beauty compared to that of a summer’s day.

What do the rough winds do? What does the poet mean by ‘summer’s lease’? How is the friend’s beauty superior to the summer’s day?

The darling buds are shaken by the rough winds.

In using the term “summer’s lease,” Shakespeare refers to the short duration of the summer season.

The poet goes on to express his belief that his dear friend’s beauty surpasses that of a summer’s day, being both lovelier and more consistent. While the violent winds of summer can destroy the delicate buds, the season itself is fleeting and subject to changes in temperature and weather. In contrast, the beauty of the poet’s friend is enduring, not subject to the impermanence and inconsistency of the summer season.

“And every fair from fair sometime declines.”–  From which poem is the line quoted? Who is the poet? Briefly explain the meaning of the quoted line. How does the poet promise to immortalize his friend’s beauty? 

This line is from Sonnet No. 18, “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?”

The poet who wrote this is William Shakespeare.

The line conveys the idea that nothing lasts forever, even the most beautiful things in nature will eventually be destroyed by the changing course of nature.

The poet is extremely confident that his friend’s beauty will never fade, and that the words in the sonnet will ensure his friend’s glory lasts forever. The poet believes that, as long as people continue to live on this earth, the sonnet will keep his friend alive.