Literary Techniques or Literary Devices used in Sonnet 18
Diacope
Diacope is a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is repeated with a small number of intervening words e.g. To be, or not to be!. "Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way,"
Example from Poem:
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.
Rhetorical Question:
A rhetorical question is a question asked to make a point, rather than get an answer.
“Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?”
Personification:
Personification is a figurative device in which human attributes or feelings are given to an inanimate object or thing as if it were human.
The sun is playing hide-and-seek today.
“…the eye of heaven…” l.5
“…his gold complexion…” l.6
“Nor shall death brag thou…” l.11
“…this gives life to thee” l.14
Apostrophe:
A figure of speech in which a thing, a place, an abstract quality, an idea, a dead or absent person, is addressed as if present and capable of understanding.
The poem is apostrophic with the general use of “thy”, “thee”, “thou” etc.
Metaphor:
In the fifth line of the poem, the sun is described as “the eye of heaven.” Here, the sun is compared with an eye, which creates the effect of vividness. It provides the reader with a mental image of the whole scenario.
In the sixth line of the poem, the metaphor “his gold complexion” is used to refer to sunshine. This metaphor creates the image of a beautiful person with golden complexion being compared with the golden rays of the sun in the minds of the readers.
The metaphor “thy eternal summer” is used to refer to the beloved’s beauty. This metaphor serves the purpose of maintaining the image of the comparison of the summer season and the speaker’s beloved, which started in the first line.
“…darling buds of May” l.3
“…eternal lines to Time…” l.12
Hyperbole:
A figure of speech which contains an exaggeration for emphasis. Example ‘I haven’t seen you for ages’
“Thou art more lovely and more temperate” l.2
“But thy eternal summer shall not fade” l.9
Anaphora:
A rhetorical device involving the repetition of a word or group of words in successive clauses
And often is his gold complexion dimm'd;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st;
Nor shall death brag thou wander’st in his shade,
So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.
Synecdoche:
A literary device that occurs when part of something is used to represent the whole or vice versa.
For example, a common synecdoche for proposing marriage is to ask for a person’s “hand.”
I have intention to buy new wheels
“…eyes can see…” l.13
Irony:
Irony is a literary device in which contradictory statements or situations reveal a reality that is different from what appears to be true.
“When in eternal lines to Time thou grow’st” l.12. Here, there is situational irony in that the lover is said to continuously grow with time even in death. Death ends life.
Repetition:
Repetition is a literary device in which a word or phrase is repeated two or more times.
The repetition of words like “more”, “summer”, “eternal”, “this”, “so long”, “fair”, “nor” et cetera in the poem to create emphasis.
Alliteration:
The repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words or stressed syllables.
Examples from poem:
“…every fair from fair…” l. 7 (/f/ sound)
“…chance or nature’s changing course…” l.8 (/ts/ sound)
By chance or nature’s changing course untrimm'd;
Nor shall death brag thou wander’st in his shade,
So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.
Assonance:
Repetition of similar vowel sounds, usually close together, to achieve a particular effect
“…more lovely and more temperate…” l.2 (/ͻ/ sound)
“…summer’s lease hath all too short a date” l.4 (/ǝ/ sound)
“…is his gold complexion dimmed” l.6 (/I/ sound)
End-Stopped Line
A metrical line ending at a grammatical boundary or break—such as a dash or closing parenthesis—or with punctuation such as a colon, a semicolon, or a period.
Example from Poem:
Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Archaic Words:
“thee, thou, thy, ow’st, grow’st, wand’rest”
Enjambment:
Enjambment is a literary device in which a line of poetry carries its idea or thought over to the next line without a grammatical pause
Lines 2-3, 5-8, 13-14.
Imagery
Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. For example, “Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May”
His Shades
Euphony
Euphony is a sound device consisting of several words that are pleasing to the ear. The sounds made by these words are meant to be soothing rather than harsh or alarming. Rougher sounds can produce euphony's opposite: cacophony, which produces a sharp and discordant effect
So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.
Juxtaposition
As a literary technique, the juxtaposition definition is to place two concepts, characters, ideas, or places near or next to each other so that the reader will compare and contrast them. Example All’s fair in love and war.
Examples from poem:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimm'd;
Symbolism
Symbol, in the simplest sense, anything that stands for or represents something else beyond it—usually an idea conventionally associated with it. Objects like flags and crosses can function symbolically; and words are also symbols. In the *SEMIOTICS of C. S. Peirce, the term denotes a kind of *SIGN that has no natural or resembling connection with its referent, only a conventional one: this is the case with words. In literary usage, however, a symbol is a specially evocative kind of image; that is, a word or phrase referring to a concrete object, scene, or action which also has some further significance associated with it: roses, mountains, birds, and voyages have all been used as common literary symbols
The dove is a symbol of peace.
Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimm'd;
Tone:
Appreciation of beauty and its exaggeration.
Mood:
Romantic as it professes love and adoration for the poet’s lover.
Diacope
Diacope is a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is repeated with a small number of intervening words e.g. To be, or not to be!. "Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way,"
Example from Poem:
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.
Rhetorical Question:
A rhetorical question is a question asked to make a point, rather than get an answer.
“Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?”
Personification:
Personification is a figurative device in which human attributes or feelings are given to an inanimate object or thing as if it were human.
The sun is playing hide-and-seek today.
“…the eye of heaven…” l.5
“…his gold complexion…” l.6
“Nor shall death brag thou…” l.11
“…this gives life to thee” l.14
Apostrophe:
A figure of speech in which a thing, a place, an abstract quality, an idea, a dead or absent person, is addressed as if present and capable of understanding.
The poem is apostrophic with the general use of “thy”, “thee”, “thou” etc.
Metaphor:
In the fifth line of the poem, the sun is described as “the eye of heaven.” Here, the sun is compared with an eye, which creates the effect of vividness. It provides the reader with a mental image of the whole scenario.
In the sixth line of the poem, the metaphor “his gold complexion” is used to refer to sunshine. This metaphor creates the image of a beautiful person with golden complexion being compared with the golden rays of the sun in the minds of the readers.
The metaphor “thy eternal summer” is used to refer to the beloved’s beauty. This metaphor serves the purpose of maintaining the image of the comparison of the summer season and the speaker’s beloved, which started in the first line.
“…darling buds of May” l.3
“…eternal lines to Time…” l.12
Hyperbole:
A figure of speech which contains an exaggeration for emphasis. Example ‘I haven’t seen you for ages’
“Thou art more lovely and more temperate” l.2
“But thy eternal summer shall not fade” l.9
Anaphora:
A rhetorical device involving the repetition of a word or group of words in successive clauses
And often is his gold complexion dimm'd;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st;
Nor shall death brag thou wander’st in his shade,
So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.
Synecdoche:
A literary device that occurs when part of something is used to represent the whole or vice versa.
For example, a common synecdoche for proposing marriage is to ask for a person’s “hand.”
I have intention to buy new wheels
“…eyes can see…” l.13
Irony:
Irony is a literary device in which contradictory statements or situations reveal a reality that is different from what appears to be true.
“When in eternal lines to Time thou grow’st” l.12. Here, there is situational irony in that the lover is said to continuously grow with time even in death. Death ends life.
Repetition:
Repetition is a literary device in which a word or phrase is repeated two or more times.
The repetition of words like “more”, “summer”, “eternal”, “this”, “so long”, “fair”, “nor” et cetera in the poem to create emphasis.
Alliteration:
The repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words or stressed syllables.
Examples from poem:
“…every fair from fair…” l. 7 (/f/ sound)
“…chance or nature’s changing course…” l.8 (/ts/ sound)
By chance or nature’s changing course untrimm'd;
Nor shall death brag thou wander’st in his shade,
So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.
Assonance:
Repetition of similar vowel sounds, usually close together, to achieve a particular effect
“…more lovely and more temperate…” l.2 (/ͻ/ sound)
“…summer’s lease hath all too short a date” l.4 (/ǝ/ sound)
“…is his gold complexion dimmed” l.6 (/I/ sound)
End-Stopped Line
A metrical line ending at a grammatical boundary or break—such as a dash or closing parenthesis—or with punctuation such as a colon, a semicolon, or a period.
Example from Poem:
Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Archaic Words:
“thee, thou, thy, ow’st, grow’st, wand’rest”
Enjambment:
Enjambment is a literary device in which a line of poetry carries its idea or thought over to the next line without a grammatical pause
Lines 2-3, 5-8, 13-14.
Imagery
Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. For example, “Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May” His Shades
Euphony
Euphony is a sound device consisting of several words that are pleasing to the ear. The sounds made by these words are meant to be soothing rather than harsh or alarming. Rougher sounds can produce euphony's opposite: cacophony, which produces a sharp and discordant effect
So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.
Juxtaposition
As a literary technique, the juxtaposition definition is to place two concepts, characters, ideas, or places near or next to each other so that the reader will compare and contrast them. Example All’s fair in love and war.
Examples from poem:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimm'd;
Symbolism
Symbol, in the simplest sense, anything that stands for or represents something else beyond it—usually an idea conventionally associated with it. Objects like flags and crosses can function symbolically; and words are also symbols. In the *SEMIOTICS of C. S. Peirce, the term denotes a kind of *SIGN that has no natural or resembling connection with its referent, only a conventional one: this is the case with words. In literary usage, however, a symbol is a specially evocative kind of image; that is, a word or phrase referring to a concrete object, scene, or action which also has some further significance associated with it: roses, mountains, birds, and voyages have all been used as common literary symbols
The dove is a symbol of peace.
Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimm'd;
Tone:
Appreciation of beauty and its exaggeration.
Mood:
Romantic as it professes love and adoration for the poet’s lover.
