In this thesis essential sonnets of Shakespeare will be analysed thoroughly and examined for proof of a narrative that addresses philosophical thoughts on the concept of time and characterises it as an antagonist in a fight with the poet character over his subject of affection, the young friend and his beauty.
While the sonnets are usually treated as individual pieces of work, there are connections between them one cannot oversee when reading them consecutively. The idea of time is one of those connections and a case can be made that it is a constant character in this series of sonnets.
This description of the concept of time concurrently brings to mind the poet character‟s protagonist role in the sequence. Since the sonnets are read through his perspective, the reader is inevitably inclined to take his side as well. The third major character, the young friend, can thus be regarded as the subject of affection for the protagonist. Thus, the sonnets can be seen as a narrative containing three major characters and their journey.
Table of Contents
Introduction
1 Immortalisation of Beauty Through Procreation
1.1 Sonnet 5
1.2 Sonnet 12
1.3 Sonnet 15
2 Verse as a Means to Defeat Time
2.1 Sonnet 19
2.2 Sonnet 60
2.3 Sonnet 63
2.4 Sonnet 64
3 Paradigm Shift in Regard to the Idea of Time
3.1 Sonnet 123
3.2 Sonnet 124
3.3 Sonnet 126
Conclusion
Research Objectives and Themes
This thesis examines the narrative structure and the concept of time within Shakespeare’s sonnet sequence addressed to the young man. It explores how the speaker characterizes time as a formidable antagonist and analyzes the poet's evolving strategies—from urging procreation to immortalizing beauty through verse—to counter the destructive forces of time, ultimately leading to a shift in philosophical perspective.
- The personification of time as an antagonist in Shakespeare's sonnets.
- The evolution of the poet’s strategy to preserve the beauty of the young friend.
- The narrative connection between individual sonnets and their underlying philosophical themes.
- The transition from procreation to artistic immortalization through poetry.
- The paradigm shift regarding the poet’s perception of mortality and transience.
Excerpt from the Book
1.1 Sonnet 5
Those hours that with gentle work did frame The lovely gaze where every eye doth dwell Will play the tyrants to the very same, And that unfair which fairly doth excel. For never-resting time leads summer on To hideous winter, and confounds him there, Sap checked with frost and lusty leaves quite gone, Beauty o'er-snowed and bareness everywhere; Then were not summer's distillation left, A liquid prisoner pent in walls of glass, Beauty's effect with beauty were bereft, Nor it, nor no remembrance what it was. But flowers distilled, though they with winter meet, Leese but their show; their substance still lives sweet. (Son. 121)
The first part of the sonnet arrangement discussed, known commonly as the procreation sequence, spans from Sonnet 1 to Sonnet 17 and address the poet’s first approach for the preservation of the young friend, reproducing his inherent beauty to maintain it. The most potent sonnets in the sequence to examine this behaviour, themes of time personified and antagonised and a narrative structure concerning the three main characters, poet, time and the friend are Sonnets 5, 12 and 15.
Sonnet 5 begins with directly bringing together the two main subjects, the friend and time, in the first two lines. They are represented as creator and creation first; implying that through the hours of time and their gentle work the beauty of the friend referred to as “The lovely gaze […]” (line 2) is only made possible. Yet, the same notion of time is then equated with tyrants in line 3 and said to reverse their effect, making the friend unfair instead.
Summary of Chapters
Introduction: Outlines the thesis, identifying time as a constant, antagonistic character in the sonnet sequence and introducing the narrative journey of the poet, the friend, and time.
1 Immortalisation of Beauty Through Procreation: Analyzes the poet’s early approach to preserving beauty by urging the young man to procreate, using sonnets 5, 12, and 15 as primary evidence.
2 Verse as a Means to Defeat Time: Examines the transition from the procreation sequence to the poet’s attempt to immortalize the friend through poetry, highlighting the escalating struggle against time as a devourer.
3 Paradigm Shift in Regard to the Idea of Time: Explores the final shift in the poet’s perspective, moving from fear and defiance to an acceptance of mortality, finding a non-material realm where beauty can exist eternally.
Conclusion: Synthesizes the findings, confirming that the sequence follows a distinct narrative arc defined by the changing relationship between the poet and the personified force of time.
Keywords
Shakespeare, Sonnets, Time, Young Man, Procreation, Immortality, Verse, Antagonist, Narrative Structure, Transience, Paradigm Shift, Personification, Beauty, Mortality, Poetic Theory
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this thesis?
The thesis focuses on how Shakespeare’s sonnets to the young man function as a narrative sequence, specifically analyzing the evolving characterization of time as an antagonist to the poet's attempts at preserving beauty.
What are the central themes discussed in the work?
The central themes include the personification of time, the conflict between beauty and decay, the futility of procreation, the power of verse to grant immortality, and the poet’s psychological journey toward accepting transience.
What is the primary research question?
The work seeks to uncover how the poet uses individual sonnets to construct an overarching narrative that characterizes time as a formidable foe and how his strategies for overcoming time evolve over the sequence.
Which scientific methodology does the author apply?
The author performs a close reading and textual analysis of selected sonnets, synthesizing literary criticism and historical context to trace the narrative and philosophical developments within the text.
What does the main body of the work cover?
The main body systematically analyzes key sonnets in chronological chapters: it first covers the procreation sequence, then the transition to immortalization through verse, and finally the concluding paradigm shift regarding time.
Which keywords best characterize this work?
Key terms include Shakespeare’s Sonnets, time personification, poetic immortality, narrative arc, the procreation theme, and the paradigm shift from despair to philosophical acceptance.
How does the author interpret the significance of Sonnet 126?
The author views Sonnet 126 as a crucial "coda" to the sequence, marking the poet's final acceptance of the limits of his influence and the inevitability of death, moving beyond the struggle against time.
What distinguishes the poet's approach in the final sonnets compared to the beginning?
While the early sonnets are characterized by a desperate, often anxious attempt to fight time externally through procreation or verse, the later sonnets demonstrate a shift toward internal, philosophical acceptance and a more resigned, dignified perspective on mortality.
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- Heiner Uebbing (Autor:in), 2014, The Idea of Time in Shakespeare’s Sonnets, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/1141979
