Sonnet 73 by William Shakespeare: Text, Summary, Themes, and Figures of Speech [Hons. 1st Year, From Session : 2024-25]

Main Poem (Sonnet 73 Text):

Sonnet 73

By William Shakespeare

That time of year thou mayst in me behold

When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang

Upon those boughs which shake against the cold,

Bare ruined choirs, where late the sweet birds sang.

In me thou seest the twilight of such day

As after sunset fadeth in the west;

Which by and by black night doth take away,

Death’s second self, that seals up all in rest.

In me thou seest the glowing of such fire

That on the ashes of his youth doth lie,

As the death-bed whereon it must expire,

Consumed with that which it was nourished by.

This thou perceiv’st, which makes thy love more strong,

To love that well which thou must leave ere long.

Simplified Version (Modern English Paraphrase):

You can see the autumn of life in me—like bare branches where leaves once grew and birds once sang.

You can see the twilight in me—the fading of the day before night (death) takes over.

You can see the last glow of fire in me—burning weakly on ashes, soon to be extinguished by what once fed it.

You recognize this, and it makes your love stronger—because you cherish what you know you will soon lose.

Summary of Sonnet 73:

In this sonnet, Shakespeare compares the speaker’s aging process to three natural images: autumn, twilight, and a dying fire. Each metaphor suggests the nearness of death and the inevitable decline of human life. However, the poem concludes with a hopeful message: awareness of mortality strengthens love, since it reminds us that life is short and precious.

Themes in Sonnet 73:

1. Mortality and Aging – The sonnet reflects on old age and the passing of time.

2. Love and Loss – True love grows deeper when faced with the reality of separation by death.

3. Time and Nature – The natural cycle (seasons, day/night, fire/ashes) symbolizes human life.

4. Acceptance of Death – Death is seen not as tragic but as a natural, inevitable stage.

Discussion as a Sonnet:

Sonnet 73 is one of Shakespeare’s most famous sonnets, written in the Shakespearean sonnet form with 14 lines, three quatrains, and a rhyming couplet (ABAB CDCD EFEF GG). Each quatrain presents a metaphor for aging:

First quatrain: The fading of autumn leaves.

Second quatrain: The twilight before night.

Third quatrain: The dying fire.

The final couplet resolves the poem by affirming that the recognition of mortality makes love more powerful.

This structure follows Shakespeare’s typical technique: introducing a theme in the quatrains and concluding with a reflective resolution in the couplet.

Figures of Speech in Sonnet 73:

Shakespeare uses multiple literary devices in Sonnet 73:

Metaphor: Aging is compared to autumn, twilight, and a dying fire.

Imagery: Vivid natural images (yellow leaves, bare boughs, twilight, ashes) appeal to the senses.

Personification: Night is described as “Death’s second self” that “seals up all in rest.”

Symbolism: Leaves = vitality, twilight = fading life, fire = human spirit.

Alliteration: Repetition of sounds (e.g., “Bare ruined choirs, where late the sweet birds sang”).

Contrast: Life versus death, light versus darkness, fire versus ashes.