Unlocking the Beauty of 'Shall I Compare Thee line by line explanation': A Comprehensive Guide for Class 12 Students (WBCHSE)

Why Shall I Compare Thee line by line explanation?

William Shakespeare’s sonnet “Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day?” is one of the most celebrated poems in English literature. Each line of this sonnet is rich with imagery, emotion, and poetic devices that contribute to its enduring appeal. Shall I Compare Thee line by line explanation helps to unravel the deeper meanings and nuances of the poem, allowing readers to fully appreciate Shakespeare’s craft.

Shall I Compare Thee line by line explanation

To help you thoroughly grasp the poem, we have prepared a “Shall I Compare Thee line by line explanation”.

Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?

Shall I compare: Should I liken or compare.
thee: You.
to a summer’s day?: To a day in summer?

Explanation: Should I compare you to a summer day?

Thou art more lovely and more temperate:

Thou art: You are.
more lovely: More beautiful.
and more temperate: And more mild and balanced.

Explanation: You are more beautiful and gentle

Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,

Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
Rough winds: Strong winds.
do shake: Do shake.
the darling buds of May: The delicate flowers of May.

Explanation: Strong winds shake the delicate flowers of May,

And summer’s lease hath all too short a date;

And summer’s lease: The duration of summer.
hath all too short a date: Is too short.

Explanation: And summer lasts for too short a time;

Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,

Sometime: Sometimes.
too hot: Too hot.
the eye of heaven: The sun.
shines: Shines brightly.

Explanation: Sometimes the sun shines too hot,

And often is his gold complexion dimm'd;

And often: And often.
is his gold complexion: Is its golden appearance.
dimm’d: Dimmed or obscured.

Explanation: And often its golden face is dimmed.

And every fair from fair sometime declines,

And every fair: And everything beautiful.
from fair: From beauty.
sometime declines: Sometimes fades.

Explanation: And everything beautiful sometimes loses its beauty,

By chance or nature’s changing course untrimm'd;

By chance: By luck or accident.
or nature’s changing course: Or the natural changes over time.
untrimm’d: Unaltered or not maintained.

Explanation: Either by accident or the natural changes over time;

But thy eternal summer shall not fade,

But thy: But your.
eternal summer: Eternal beauty and youth.
shall not fade: Will not fade.

Explanation: But your eternal beauty will not fade,

Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st;

Nor lose possession: Nor lose hold.
of that fair: Of that beauty.
thou ow’st: That you possess.

Explanation: Nor lose the beauty that you have;

Nor shall death brag thou wander’st in his shade,

Nor shall death brag: Nor shall death boast.
thou wander’st in his shade: That you walk in his shadow (die).

Explanation: Nor shall death boast that you have died,

When in eternal lines to time thou grow’st:

When in eternal lines: When in these eternal verses.
to time thou grow’st: You grow forever.

Explanation: Because in these eternal verses, you will live forever.

So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,

So long as: As long as.
men can breathe or eyes can see: People live and can see.

Explanation: As long as people live and can see,

So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

So long lives this: This poem will live.
and this gives life to thee: And it will give you life.

Explanation: This poem will live on and give you immortality.

Summary

The speaker is saying that the person they are addressing is more beautiful and gentle than a summer’s day. While summer is short and can be too hot or cloudy, the person’s beauty is eternal and will never fade. Even death cannot claim them because their beauty will live forever in the lines of this poem. As long as people exist and can read, this poem will keep the person’s beauty alive.

Shall I Compare Thee line by line explanation