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Read the full text of Sonnet 18, a famous love poem that compares the beloved to a summer's day. Learn about the poem's structure, themes, and context from the Poetry Foundation website.
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- Immortal Beloved
Learn about the themes, symbols, poetic devices, and form of Shakespeare's famous sonnet comparing a young man to a summer's day. Read the full text, line-by-line explanations, and external resources of "Sonnet 18".
Learn about the famous poem that compares the beloved to a summer's day and promises his beauty will last forever in the speaker's rhyme. Read the full text, translation, and interpretation of Sonnet 18 by William Shakespeare.
Sonnet 18 is a typical English or Shakespearean sonnet, having 14 lines of iambic pentameter: three quatrains followed by a couplet. It also has the characteristic rhyme scheme: ABAB CDCD EFEF GG. The poem reflects the rhetorical tradition of an Italian or Petrarchan Sonnet.
Why is ‘Sonnet 18’ one of Shakespeare’s most famous sonnets? Its universal themes, elegant language, and memorable opening line (“Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?”) have contributed to its enduring popularity and recognition as one of the most iconic works in English literature.
- Female
- Poetry Analyst
Learn about Shakespeare's famous sonnet 18, which praises a young man's beauty and immortalizes him in poetry. Read the original text, a modern translation and watch Patrick Stewart read it aloud.
Read the full text of Sonnet 18, also known as The Summer's Day, a famous love poem by Shakespeare. Learn about the poem's structure, themes, and context in this analysis by the Academy of American Poets.
