Essay on Metaphors for Death in Shakespeares Sonnet 73

Metaphors for Death in Shakespeares Sonnet 73 William Shakespeares Sonnet 73: That Time of Year Thou Mayest in Me Behold is a sonnet that examines the fears and anxieties that surround growing old and dying -- a topic that resonates within us all. Shakespeares use of metaphor to illustrate decay and passing are striking, and sets a somber tone throughout. He uses the season of Fall, the coming of night, and the burning out of a flame as metaphors for old age and death, and then uses the last two lines to suggest that we should love and cherish life while we can. The first four lines of the sonnet reflect the changing of seasons, and the oncoming of Fall: That time of year thou mayest in me behold, When yellow†¦show more content†¦Shakespeare uses lines five through eight of the sonnet to describe the closing of a day, and the onset of night: In me thou seest the twilight of such day, As after Sunset fadeth in the West, Which by and by black night doth take away, Deaths second self that seals up all in rest. Like the season of Fall, the twilight of a day is a metaphor for the passing of time. Each new day can be seen as a life itself. Each morning and afternoon -- when the day is young -- is a life full of possibilities and opportunities. Then twilight approaches, and the day is done, only to be followed by sleep -- or as Shakespeare calls it, Deaths second self. Lines nine through twelve describe the dying out of a flame -- the final extinguishing of a light: In me thou seest the glowing of such fire, That on the ashes of his youth doth lie, As the death bed, whereon it must expire, Consumed with that which it was nourished by. This final metaphor is of death, and a reminder that all things must end. Shakespeare compares a flame dancing on the ashes of his youth to that of a person lying on his deathbed, where both must expire. In this sonnet, Shakespeare uses metaphor to create a vivid image in the readers mind of the passage of time, old age, and death by describing the Fall season, the end of a day, and the burning out of a flame.Show MoreRelated Metaphorically Speaking – Sonnet 73 Essays857 Words   |  4 PagesSpeaking – Sonnet 73  Ã‚      Love is a blanket of bright and colorful flowers that covers a beautifully rolling meadow on a breezy summer day. Similar metaphorical images appear in many famous poems including Shakespeares Sonnet 73. 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