I did this Position Paper last semester & I did the 'VIVA" hehehee

1.0 Introduction

This is the analysis of Sonnet 18 which I have chosen to analyse about its terms and contexts of whom it is addressed to as an apocalypse.

1.1 Topic

I have chosen Sonnet 18 which is poetically narrated by William Shakespeare to be analysed its embedded interpretations that are clearly related to addressing a love to a man.

1.2 Background of The Topic

Sonnet 18 has the persona addressed his love to a man. The persona, though, has doubts about his love to his male beloved starting from line 1 to line 7, but he eventually is able to put certainties to his knowledge of his gay love starting from line 8 to line 14. Line 1 to line 7 is the persona’s doubts, and line 8 to line 14 is the answers for his doubts.

Line	Doubts	Certainties	Line
1	Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?	By chance or nature’s changing course untrimm’d;	8
2	Thou art more lovely and more temperate:	But thy eternal summer shall not fade	9
3	Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,	Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest;	10
4	And summer’s lease hath all too short a date:	Nor shall Death brag thou wander’st in his shade,	11
5	Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,	When in eternal lines to time thou growest:	12
6	And often is his gold of complexion dimm’d;	So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,	13
7	And every fair from fair sometimes declines,	So long lives this and this gives life to thee.	14

Examining on line 1 and line 8, the persona has a doubtful question about the youth and beauty of his male beloved that he has asked both himself and his male beloved. He, then, answers it by that the summer’s day as a part of the 4 seasons changing subsequently in every 3 month will never untrimmed his beloved’s beauty and youth.

Line 2 has the persona’s compliments for his male beloved’s radiant beauty and youth which is put into a certainty in line 9 that the purity of his male beloved’s everlasting warm beauty will not be gone.

The third line which the persona is afraid of rough winds to shake his beloved’s buds of youth is answered by line 10 that the persona has assured his beloved’s youth will never be loosely belonged or claimed by another person.

Although the summer month has been the most crucial and less-spent time for the persona and his male beloved to date in line 4, the persona then condemns Death if Death takes his male beloved for not making them dating again in line 11. The persona, for himself and as it explained in line 11, it is better to date with his male beloved in short time than sees his beloved beneath the grave where Death has won him.

The persona talks about the importance of Time that the Sun often shines too much in certain hours or days (line 5) which the persona is worried about the radiance of his beloved’s beauteous to be empowered by the radiance of the Sun. Also, another importance of Time in line 12 is assured by the persona that as his beloved is growing up (in time); the everlasting lines of his gay love will envelop his beloved forever.

Examining on the doubt in line 6 that the persona has realized that as time passes, his beloved’s youth is diminishing. However, his beloved’s beauty is still remained untouched. In line 13, the persona assures both themselves that people who adore the beauty and youth of his beloved will always aflame their gay love.

The last line (line 7) which is the last doubt that the persona has is about his beloved’s unexpectedly fading radiant youth. The persona is despair to see the youth’s radiance is fading away by minutes. However, their gay love still sparks and his male beloved can live forever as the persona hopes for the existence and life of Sonnet 18 forever undestroyed.

1.3 Thesis Statement

My position stand for Sonnet 18 is the persona’s beloved is a man. I really believe that the persona’s beloved is a man whom the persona addresses his gay love to a man beautifully.

2.0 Counter Argument

Many people believe that the Sonnet 18 has the persona addresses his love to a woman. The last cycle of Literature Component for English for Malaysian upper secondary schools had this sonnet to be taught in the classrooms of Form 4. English Language teachers had taught this sonnet that the eternal love the persona has is undeniably for his female beloved. The beauty of the language that Shakespeare has used in the sonnet is perfect that flatters any person to think it as it is for a woman.

3.0 Argument

3.1 First Supporting Point: Shakespeare regards his love to a man in nature comparisons.

Firstly, the nature elements being compared to are summer’s day, winds and the Sun. These elements play roles of preserving as well as destroying the beloved’s youth and beauty. Also, these elements are concluded in line 8 of the sonnet, “By chance or nature’s changing course untrimm’d;”. This means that the elements might change its course roles but they still affect the beauty and youth of the beloved so much.

Shakespeare compares his beloved’s beauty and youth to nature elements as he always notices the existence of the elements everyday as he always, too, expresses his love to his beloved every second of his life breathes.

The beauty and youth that his beloved possess is much better than a perfect-ten beautiful woman. Because of the best qualities of his beloved had, Shakespeare has used nature elements to be compared to because the nature elements are the greatest creations that God has ever created. The greatness of the elements also refers to the greatness of beauty and youth of his beloved.

3.2 Second Supporting Point: Shakespeare has an eternal love with the man.

Secondly, analysing the structures constructed in line 9 “But thy eternal summer shall not fade” and in line 12 “When in eternal lines to time thou growest”, these lines refer to the everlasting love that Shakespeare has with his beloved. The beauty of his beloved will not be fading away but remains still or becomes much prettier. Although his beloved is aging, Shakespeare’s words of eternal love will never be gone or deleted.

Moreover, there is a suggested inspiration for Shakespeare to narrate his eternal love for his beloved. The 3 images of God in Christianity World such as God Himself, Jesus Christ as the Son of God and the Holy Spirit of God are entangled in line 9, line 10 and line 11. The 3 images for Christianity is perfect and so does Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18.

In the teaching of Christianity, the Holy Spirit of God shall come first, and it comes first in line 9 “But thy eternal summer shall not fade”. “Thy eternal summer” has the Holy Spirit of God because the summer, although it is seen and felt physically, has the aura of warmness that brightens and flames up someone’s soul. In the context of Christianity, the Holy Spirit of God is warm and flamingly bright for one soul to experience Him. As for Shakespeare, in order to experience his love to his beloved, the warm spirit like the Holy Spirit of God is well in him.

Line 10 “Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest” is inspired by the presence of Jesus Christ as the Son of God that it suggests the warm radiant perfectly beauty of Jesus to be characterized by Shakespeare’s male beloved. Experiencing Jesus Christ in praying life in Christianity is the second image that one soul shall feel. As the Son of God described well in the Bible, Jesus Christ is perfectly well-built, beautiful, fresh and young. The physical traits of Jesus Christ are the traits Shakespeare’s beloved has that Shakespeare adores so much. The presence of Jesus Christ is in “That fair thou owest”. His adoration to his beloved’s physical traits gets stronger like Jesus Christ who is powerful in preaching the God’s love to human race long time

The third image of God, eventually, is God Himself seen in the eyes of souls. This image does inspire Shakespeare to narrate line 11 “Nor shall Death brag thou wander’st in his shade”. As we all convinced ourselves about our knowledge of God, God has the power for Life and Death which means He controls them. “Death” in this line is God Himself. In Christianity, having seen the image of God Himself is the most infinitely precious gift that sets one soul to stay with Him as a favourite soul. God as Death can immortalize the gay love that Shakespeare has for his beloved although Shakespeare condemns Death so much that he asks Death not to take his beloved away.

In the context of Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18, the intervention of God three images preserves Shakespeare’s gay love to the man. Also, relating this sonnet to God is evidently asking for permission for this forbidden love to be established although God condemns homosexuality. However, Shakespeare does not have had sex with his beloved, so this forbidden love is not considered as homosexuality. The love is said in powerful words, and there is no judgment for this forbidden love that God can have.

3.3 Third Supporting Point: The sonnet is the only way of how Shakespeare narrates his immortal love to the man.

Thirdly, focusing on the pair of couplets of Sonnet 18 “So long as men can breathe or eyes can see, so long lives this and this gives life to thee.”, these are the promises that Shakespeare gives to his beloved in order to preserve the immortality of their love, the beauty and youth of his beloved and Shakespeare’s adoration to his beloved. By asking help from other people (readers) to liven up Sonnet 18, it shall breathe in the sonnet and gives breaths to Shakespeare’s beloved forever.

Furthermore, having some doubts while in loving with his beloved is okay because they guide Shakespeare to explore the true-self of his beloved. In addition, it can be a blessed gift for the immortality of their love that even though Shakespeare has some doubts and some certainties regarding his gay love to his beloved, Sonnet 18 which is narrated so round and no exits to be found lives forever.

4.0 Conclusion

In conclusion, it is evidently true that Shakespeare has narrated Sonnet 18 to address his love to a man whom he adores the beauty, youth, radiance and stunning physical traits of the man so much. I strongly believe that Shakespeare’s beloved is a man, and this standpoint is elaborated much by the evidence from the poem.