2 -4 - 20, ENGLISH, Shakespeare's Sonnet 18

Good Morning guys!!! How are you?

Happy new month!!!

Are you ready for the challenge of Shakespeare's ...

Sonnet 18 ???  Then, enjoy it!! 

Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer’s lease hath all too short a date:
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimmed,
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance, or nature’s changing course untrimmed:
But thy eternal summer shall not fade,
Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st,
Nor shall death brag thou wand’rest in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou grow’st,
    So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
    So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

DON'T PANIC!!! GET SOME HELP!!!

Meanings of old English words:              
thee (pro): you
thou (pro): you
art (v): are
hath (v): has
thy (adj): your
ow'st (v):  have
wand'rest (v): wander
grow'st (v): you grow



LANGUAGE SURVIVAL GUIDE

temperate (adj): mild (for climate), self-controlled (for people)
do shake: the auxiliary 'do' in present simple positive is used for stress, politeness or poetic effect.
bud (n): first growth on a plant or flower
lease (n): period, time, duration
eye of heaven: Shakespeare is referring to the sun
complexion (n): colour; appearance
fair (adj): attractive; beautiful
decline (v): to become less; to decrease
eternal (adj): endless;  infinite
fade (v): to decrease; to dissolve
brag (v): to boast; to tell everybody triumphantly
shade (noun): shadow; darkness
so long: as long

IS IT STILL ALL GREEK TO YOU???

Why don't you try to read it paraphrased to see if it gets any better!


Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?         Shall I compare you to a summer's day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:         You are more lovely and more constant:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, Rough winds shake the beloved buds of May
And summer's lease hath all too short a date: And summer is far too short:
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,         At times the sun is too hot,
And often is his gold complexion dimm'd;        Or often goes behind the clouds;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,       And everything beautiful sometime will lose its                                                                                     beauty,
By chance, or nature's changing course, untrimm'd;By misfortune or by nature's planned out                                                                                         course.
But thy eternal summer shall not fade                But your youth shall not fade,
Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow'st;         Nor will you lose the beauty that you possess;
Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade, Nor will death claim you for his own,
When in eternal lines to time thou grow'st;         Because in my eternal verse you will live forever.
So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,        So long as there are people on this earth,
So long lives this and this gives life to thee.        So long will this poem live on, making you                                                                                           immortal.


Well, what color is the sky in your world now that you have understood it completely? Is it blue again?!! 

I'm sending you a link  to listen to the poem being recited to you, in order to focus better on how it sounds and how it makes you feel..

Did you like this well-known poem??

Now, why don't we try something else to change the sensation of the poem completely. Click here to see what I mean! 

I'm very curious about your impressions..please email me to let me know your feelings and thoughts on it.

Besides, it was Voltaire who said: "Poetry is the music of the soul, and, above all, of great and feeling souls."

In preparation for our next lesson on Sonnet 18, I'm sending you another link to learn more about the poem' s analysis and get ready for upcoming questions!

I really hope you found today's lesson interesting!! 

TAKE GOOD CARE DEARS!

I'm now sending you the KEY to Monday's Shakespeare Quiz.

1. He was born in Stratford-upon-Avon, England.
2. He was born on April 23rd, 1564.
3. His father was a successful local businessman.
4. He was eighteen years old when he got married and had 3 children.
5. They moved to London.
6. He was a playwright and an actor.
7. The Taming of the Shrew, Richard the 3rd, Romeo and Juliet and A Midsummer Night's Dream.
8. His theatre is called the Globe theatre.
9. Hamlet, Othello, King Lear and Macbeth.
10. He died in 1616.

I hope you all did well!!!

P.S. I'm sending you my email for any questions you might have.

v.vasileiou@gmail.com