Exploring Shakespeare's Sonnet 18

Sonnet 18

by William Shakespeare

Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer’s lease hath all too short a date:
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimm’d;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance or nature’s changing course untrimm’d;
But thy eternal summer shall not fade
Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest;
Nor shall Death brag thou wander’st in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou growest:
So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
So long lives this and this gives life to thee.

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Which season is mentioned in the first line of Sonnet 18?

• Winter

• Summer

• Autumn

• Spring

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What does the phrase "the eye of heaven" most likely refer to in Sonnet 18?

• The moon

• The sun

• A star

• The sky

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According to Sonnet 18, what happens to "every fair from fair"?

• It becomes more beautiful

• It sometimes declines

• It always remains the same

• It disappears

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Which line from Sonnet 18 best supports the idea that the subject’s beauty will last forever?

• "Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,"

• "But thy eternal summer shall not fade"

• "Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,"

• "And often is his gold complexion dimm’d;"

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Which of the following best describes the main idea of Sonnet 18?

• The changing of the seasons

• The lasting nature of poetry and beauty

• The harshness of summer weather

• The unpredictability of life

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How does the speaker in Sonnet 18 use figurative language to describe the subject’s beauty?

• By comparing it to a summer’s day

• By stating it is like a winter’s night

• By saying it is as cold as ice

• By comparing it to a storm

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Which of the following lines contains an example of personification?

• "And summer’s lease hath all too short a date:"

• "Nor shall Death brag thou wander’st in his shade,"

• "Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,"

• "So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,"

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What is the effect of the phrase "eternal lines to time thou growest" in the context of the poem?

• It suggests the subject will age quickly

• It implies the subject will live forever through poetry

• It means the subject will be forgotten

• It refers to the changing seasons

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Which character trait best describes the speaker in Sonnet 18?

• Jealous

• Admiring

• Indifferent

• Angry

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