Short Questions and Answers from Sonnet-18. By William Shakespeare

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Short Questions and Answers from "Shall I Compare thee to a Summer's day?"

Sonnet- 18

1. What does the eye of heaven refer to in the poem "Shall I compare thee to a Summer's day?"

Ans- The sun is referred to as 'The eye of heaven' in the poem "Shall I compare thee to a Summer's day?"

2. 'So long lives this'- What is referred to by the word 'this'? 

Ans- The eternal verse of the poet is referred to here by the word 'this'. 

3. How is the gold complexion of the Sun dimmed?

 Ans- The gold complexion of the Sun is dimmed by the cloud. 

4. 'And Summer lease hath all too short a date - What is meant by 'Summer's lease? 

Ans- Summer's lease means the short duration of Summer.

 5. What will make the beauty of the poet's friend eternal?

Ans- The poet's sonnet will make the beauty of the poet's friend eternal 

6. What shall death not brag of? 

Ans- Death shall not brag of the poet's friend into his shade 

7. To What does Shakespeare compare his friend? 

Ans- Shakespeare compares his friend to a Summer's day 

8. What shakes the darling buds of May?

Ans- The rough winds of summer shake the

9. 'But thy eternal summer shall not fade" --Whose eternal summer is referred to here? 

Ans- The poet's friend's eternal summer is referred to here 

10. What will give life to the poet's friend? 

Ans- The sonnet composed by the poet will give life to the poet's friend, Mr. W.H.

11. How will the beauty of the poet's friend remain unfaded? 

Ans- The beauty of the poet's friend will remain unfaded through the eternal lines of this sonnet-18. 

12. What makes every fair from fair decline? 

Ans- Chances or the changing course of nature makes every fair from fair decline.

13. So long lives this"-What is referred to here by 'this'?

Ans-  The word 'This' refers to Sonnet No. 18 by Shakespeare.

14. What does 'the eye of heaven' refer to?

Ans- 'The eye of heaven' refers to the sun in the sonnet-18.

15. "And every fair from fair sometime declines" -What is meant by the first 'fair' and by the second 'fair'?

Ans- The first 'fair' means fairness or beauty and the second 'fair' means a fair woman or fair objects. 

16. Which lines are called 'eternal lines' and why? 

Ans- The 'eternal lines' here means the lines of the verse that will immortalise the name of the poet's friend forever.

17. "Shall I compare thee ." – Whom shall the poet compare? 

ANS- The poet shall compare his friend, Mr. WH, to a summer's day.

18. How can eternal lines be maintained?

Ans- "Eternal lines' indicate the verses of Sonnet No- 18 that will eternalize the poet's friend. The poet believes that death will fail to brag on his friend as his verses would keep him alive forever, by maintaining the eternal lines.

19. What do the rough winds do?

Ans- The rough winds of summer blow violently and shake the plants and as such, they lose their budding flowers of May. 

20. Which shall never fade? 

Ans- The poet's friend's eternal summer' shall never fade. 

21. How are the winds of May?

Ans- The winds of May are rough. 

22. How is summer's lease? 

Ans- Summer's lease' is short. This is so because nature has offered summer for a short period and it would soon be over.

23. How does the eye of heaven' sometimes shine in summer?

Ans- The 'eye of heaven' sometimes shines too hot at times in summer. 

24. Where, according to Shakespeare, does death take every living being? 

Ans- According to Shakespeare, Death, with its power, takes every living being under its shade.

25. What causes the decline of 'fair'? 

Ans- The decline of 'fair' may occur either by chance or by nature's routine course of change.

26. To whom is Sonnet 18 addressed? 

Ans- The Sonnet 18 composed by William Shakespeare is addressed to the poet's friend, Mr. W.H who is a fair young man. 

27. What is the rhyme scheme of Sonnet 18?

Ans- The rhyme scheme of Sonnet 18 is abab cdcd efef gg. 

28. How does the poet plan to beat death?

Ans- The poet's plan is to beat death by describing the beauty of his friend in his Sonnet.

Sonnet-18

29. What is meant by 'summer's lease' in Sonnet No. 18? 

Ans- The metaphoric expression 'summer's lease' means that men have summer on a lease, so after the duration of the season will depart.

 30. Why does Shakespeare like to compare his friend to a summer's day? 

Ans- The summer's day is lovely, bright and has a mild temperature. So Shakespeare wants to compare his fair friend to a summer's day.

31. What does Shakespeare compare his friend too?

Ans-  Shakespeare, in Sonnet No. 18 compares his friend to a summer's day. 

32. How does the poet differ from eternal summer and a summer day in the poem? 

Ans- The poet sees the summer day as temporary and short-lived while the eternal summer is a thing forever.

33. How does Sonnet 18 end?

Ans- The Sonnet No. 18 of Shakespeare ends with a rhymed couplet.

34. What does 'Nature's changing course' mean?

Ans- Nature has its own cyclical transition. It changes from summer to winter through this cycle. This natural course of action is meant by 'Nature's changing course'. 

35. What happens to everything fair in the sonnet 'Shall I Compare Thee to a summers day'?

Ans- Everything fair tends to lose its beauty with the gradual movement of time.

36. How does Shakespeare depict the sun? 

Ans- Despite being dazzling the sun is sometimes obscured by cloudlets or sinks in the western horizon at nightfall. 

37. What is the complexion of the eye of heaven that dims sometimes? 

Ans- Gold is the complexion of the eye of heaven that dims sometimes.

38. What type of poem is 'Shall I Compare Thee to a summers day'? 

Ans- 'Shall I Compare Thee' is a sonnet. 

39. What is the prevailing comparison in Sonnet No. 18?

Ans- The prevailing comparison in Sonnet No. 18 is that of a summer's day and the beauty of the poet's friend.

40. Who is the speaker of Sonnet 18?

Ans- William Shakespeare, the poet of Sonnet 18 is the speaker.

41. What are the drawbacks of a summer day?

Ans- Besides being extremely hot and cloudy, a summer's day may spoil beautiful buds with the help of rough winds and sometimes the sun shines too hot.

42. How does Shakespeare personify 'death'?

Ans- Shakespeare personifies death by saying that he is like a boastful man taking pride in his gruesome power.

43. "By chance, or nature's changing course untrimmed"- What does 'by chance' mean here?

Ans- 'By chance' here means by fate or by accident.

44. What does the line "And every fair from fair sometime declines" suggest?

Ans- The line suggests that physical beauty is temporary.

45. Of which season does the Sonnet 18 speak?

Ans- Sonnet 18 speaks of the summer season.

46. Give an example of personification in Sonnet 18. 

Ans- There is the use of personification in the line: "Nor shall death brag thou wanderest in his shade". 

47. ' .. and this gives life to thee' ---What does 'life' mean here?

Ans- "Life' here signifies immortality. 

48. ... and this gives life to thee'-Who is 'thee' referred to here? 

Ans- Here the word "Thee' refers to the poeť's friend, the fair youth. 

49. Give an example of imagery in Sonnet No. 18. 

Ans-; An example of imagery in this poem would be the eye of heaven'. 

50. What message is given through the sonnet?

Ans- In the conflict between time and verse, it is the verse that wins. This is the message delivered through the poem.

51. How many sonnets did Shakespeare write?

Ans- Shakespeare wrote 154 sonnets in total. 

52. What is the pattern of division of Sonnet No. 18? 

Ans- The Sonnet No. 18 of Shakespeare is divided into three quatrains and a couplet.

53. What will happen "as long as men can breathe or eyes can see"? 

Ans-"So long as men can breathe or eyes can see", one will read the sonnet and remember the poet's friend, Mr. W. H.