Metaphor and Theme in Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 73”
...Bare ruined choirs where late the sweet birds sang” (4), the speaker holds three images of the sweetness that have been lost: a springtime tree that has now lost its leaves; a beautiful, song-filled cathedral fallen into ruin; and the speaker’s youthful physical self now withered, capable only of remembering his past glory. hang / Upon those boughs which shake against the cold” (2-3). Beginning this poem on a somber note, this complex metaphor goes beyond the traditional association between winter and old age to create the image of an elderly person whose thin arms and legs (boughs, or limbs) shake in the cold. Because in late autumn or winter the landscape is dead and bare, the metaphor suggests that the speaker is in the winter of his life, approaching death, and that death is natural. The speaker amplifies the metaphor of the boughs by comparing them to the “Bare ruined choirs” (4) of ancient cathedrals. Just as the “sweet birds” (4) may have sung from the boughs of trees, the choir image also reminds the audience that similar sweet human voices once sang from the once-grand cathedrals. In this one line, “Bare ruined choirs where late the sweet birds sang” (4), the speaker holds three images of the sweetness that have been lost: a springtime tree that has now lost its leaves; a beautiful, song-filled cathedral fallen into ruin; and the speaker’s youthful physical self now withered, capable only of remembering his past glory. Next, in the second quatrain, the speaker compares himself to the twilight of the day, that time of day just before dark, “after sunset fadeth in the west” (6). This metaphor suggests that the speaker is very near the end of his life because “by and by black night” (7) will take away all remaining light. Shakespeare enriches the metaphor by personifying death and night, “Death’s second self” (8). Here, however, the “second self” of Death is not mortality itself, but death’s companion Sleep. The special urgency of this twilight moment for the speaker lies in the word play of “seals up all in rest” (8). If the love addressed in the poem does not respond to the speaker’s statements of love, not only will the speaker fall asleep, but he may even die. The “rest” of the night could turn into a more permanent kind of rest, and their deep feelings for each other might not be fully realized. Again, Shakespeare takes advantage of traditional associations between the cycle of the day and the cycle of life to emphasize that death is an inevitable and natural part of life, but the true response to that condition of fading life is for the couple to seize the moment Next, in the second quatrain, the speaker compares himself to the twilight of the day, that time of day just before dark, “after sunset fadeth in the west” (6). This metaphor suggests that the speaker is very near the end of his life because “by and by black night” (7) will take away all remaining light. Shakespeare enriches the metaphor by personifying death and night, “Death’s second self” (8). Here, however, the “second self” of Death is not mortality itself, but death’s companion Sleep. The special urgency of this twilight moment for the speaker lies in the word play of “seals up all in rest” (8). If the love addressed in the poem does not respond to the speaker’s statements of love, not only will the speaker fall asleep, but he may even die. The “rest” of the night could turn into a more permanent kind of rest, and their deep feelings for each other might not be fully realized. Again, Shakespeare takes advantage of traditional associations between the cycle of the day and the cycle of life to emphasize that death is an inevitable and natural part of life, but the true response to that condition of fading life is for the couple to seize the moment Then, in the third quatrain, Shakespeare develops a complex metaphor of fire to suggest the progression through life to death. The speaker compares himself to the ember stage of a fire. The fire, the “deathbed whereon [the speaker] must expire” (11), is now a bed of ashes. The ashes represent all the years the speaker has lived up to this point. Ultimately, then, the speaker will be consumed by what once nourished him, the wood—now ash—that will finally suffocate the last glowing embers of life. The association of the life cycle with the natural phenomenon of fire paints death as merely the last step in a natural process. Before death arrives, however, the speaker insists, he is still capable of expressing his love. The phrase “the glowing of such fire” (9) may mean his youth or his love for the young woman. In either case, it continues the speaker’s argument about his love for her. Significantly, he asks her to see that such a fire still remains even though his youth may have fallen into ashes. Then, in the third quatrain, Shakespeare develops a complex metaphor of fire to suggest the progression through life to death. The speaker compares himself to the ember stage of a fire. The fire, the “deathbed whereon [the speaker] must expire” (11), is now a bed of ashes. The ashes represent all the years the speaker has lived up to this point. Ultimately, then, the speaker will be consumed by what once nourished him, the wood—now ash—that will finally suffocate the last glowing embers of life. The association of the life cycle with the natural phenomenon of fire paints death as merely the last step in a natural process. Before death arrives, however, the speaker insists, he is still capable of expressing his love. The phrase “the glowing of such fire” (9) may mean his youth or his love for the young woman. In either case, it continues the speaker’s argument about his love for her. Significantly, he asks her to see that such a fire still remains even though his youth may have fallen into ashes. This metaphor of the fire of life has a degree of ambiguity, as well, especially because the speaker claims the fire is “Consumed” (12). Shakespeare uses the word consumed, whic...