Shakespeare's Sonnet 116
...ve is easily swayed, then that is not considered love. This technique puts stronger negation upon the repeated word so readers take notice, stop, and consider the idea he is putting out there. The comparison with the North Star in line 5 implies not only love’s permanency but also an “ever-fixed mark” to which those who are lost may look upon to find their way home. A sense of hopelessness is closely associated with being lost; however, through the comparison the sonnet shows that being lost does not necessarily equate to hopelessness. In the third quatrain, the capitalized t personifies “Time.” It is used in a negative way, as an antagonist, because more than anything else, time is love’s enemy. Love can start over, but time forever trudges on. Unlike love, time is easy to describe. The passage of time is visible and can be marked, but love’s passage cannot be shown in like ways. The word “alters” stands out in lines 3 and 11 because by placing “alters” in the beginning and the end of the sonnet, the reader gets a sense of conclusion. In fourteen lines, Shakespeare wraps up his argument of the things love is not. If Shakespeare were to have set out writing about what love is,...