This is one of the most famous of the sonnets and perhaps
the best illustration of the theme of the ravages of time. Each quatrain
engages the theme in a unique way, with the destructive force of time
redoubling with each successive line. Although the poet seems certain that
Time's destruction is inevitable, he is nonetheless hopeful that his verse will
get away with it in the end.
In quatrain one the flow of time is compared with the incessant beating of the waves against a shore, each wave building in strength and then crashing down again only to be followed by another in its place. The second quatrain uses the sun as a metaphor for human life: it is born ("Nativity") and "crawls" (like a baby) until it reaches its highest point, whereupon it is "crown'd" (with maturity) and then proceeds to fall back into darkness, or death. Line 8 concludes the metaphor with the assertion that Time both gives the gift of life and takes it away again.
This sentiment is repeated in lines 9-12, only more strongly and deeply. Time destroys the perfection of youth: he digs deep wrinkles in a beautiful face and devours the preciousness of nature in its most perfect shape - "And nothing stands but for his scythe to mow." (Time and Death each were often pictured carrying a scythe.) Nevertheless, the final couplet speaks of the poet's intention to outsmart Time himself, defying his "cruel hand" by eternalizing the fair lord in his verse. This intention has been expressed in previous sonnets; see sonnets 17-19 for examples.
Again, sonnet 60 may be the best exemplar of the theme of the ravages of time. This theme is prevalent throughout the sonnets, and it takes many different forms, sometimes referring to the destructive power of time in general, other times focusing on the effects of time on a specific character in the sonnets such as the narrator or the fair lord. The narrator seems to be hauntingly preoccupied with the passing of time and everything that it entails, including mortality, memory, inevitability, and change. He is distressed over such things that he has no control over, and at times he appears to be fighting a futile battle against time itself, just like the sun in line 7 of sonnet 60: "Crooked eclipses 'gainst his glory fight."
Finally, some scholars have suggested that the ordering of the sonnets does not in fact correspond to the chronological order of the events they describe. Could this possible rearrangement be a deliberate attempt on Shakespeare's part to defy the one-way linear progression of time? It is interesting to note that certain sonnets with "special" (i.e. time-related) numbers take up the theme of time themselves. Sonnet 60 is a good example of this: note the pun on "our minutes" in line 2 - the phrase sounds like "hour minutes" - this is sonnet 60, and there are 60 minutes in an hour. For another example see sonnet 12, which begins, "When I do count the clock that tells the time"; as we all know, there are 12 hours on a clock face. Could these just be coincidences?
In quatrain one the flow of time is compared with the incessant beating of the waves against a shore, each wave building in strength and then crashing down again only to be followed by another in its place. The second quatrain uses the sun as a metaphor for human life: it is born ("Nativity") and "crawls" (like a baby) until it reaches its highest point, whereupon it is "crown'd" (with maturity) and then proceeds to fall back into darkness, or death. Line 8 concludes the metaphor with the assertion that Time both gives the gift of life and takes it away again.
This sentiment is repeated in lines 9-12, only more strongly and deeply. Time destroys the perfection of youth: he digs deep wrinkles in a beautiful face and devours the preciousness of nature in its most perfect shape - "And nothing stands but for his scythe to mow." (Time and Death each were often pictured carrying a scythe.) Nevertheless, the final couplet speaks of the poet's intention to outsmart Time himself, defying his "cruel hand" by eternalizing the fair lord in his verse. This intention has been expressed in previous sonnets; see sonnets 17-19 for examples.
Again, sonnet 60 may be the best exemplar of the theme of the ravages of time. This theme is prevalent throughout the sonnets, and it takes many different forms, sometimes referring to the destructive power of time in general, other times focusing on the effects of time on a specific character in the sonnets such as the narrator or the fair lord. The narrator seems to be hauntingly preoccupied with the passing of time and everything that it entails, including mortality, memory, inevitability, and change. He is distressed over such things that he has no control over, and at times he appears to be fighting a futile battle against time itself, just like the sun in line 7 of sonnet 60: "Crooked eclipses 'gainst his glory fight."
Finally, some scholars have suggested that the ordering of the sonnets does not in fact correspond to the chronological order of the events they describe. Could this possible rearrangement be a deliberate attempt on Shakespeare's part to defy the one-way linear progression of time? It is interesting to note that certain sonnets with "special" (i.e. time-related) numbers take up the theme of time themselves. Sonnet 60 is a good example of this: note the pun on "our minutes" in line 2 - the phrase sounds like "hour minutes" - this is sonnet 60, and there are 60 minutes in an hour. For another example see sonnet 12, which begins, "When I do count the clock that tells the time"; as we all know, there are 12 hours on a clock face. Could these just be coincidences?
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Sonnet 60
(Addressed to the Young Man)
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Like as the waves
make towards the pebbled shore,
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Like . . . end:
Simile comparing the speed of the passage of time to
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So do our minutes hasten to their end;
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to the speed of waves moving toward a shore
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Each changing place with that which goes before,
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One wave takes the place of the wave that was there
moments before.
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In sequent toil all forward do contend.
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This action is repeated without end.
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Nativity,
once in the main of light,
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Nativity:
early life; main of light: morning light without shadows
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Crawls to maturity,
wherewith being crown'd,
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Crawls to maturity:
Young people crawl figuratively, like a baby
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Crooked eclipses
'gainst his glory fight,
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Crooked eclipses:
effects of aging (metaphor: aging dims the light)
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And Time that gave doth now his gift confound.
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Time now becomes an enemy
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Time doth transfix the flourish set on youth
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transfix:
paralyze, stop (the ability to bloom and flourish)
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And delves the parallels in beauty's brow,
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delves the parallels:
carves wrinkles in the brow
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Feeds on the rarities of nature's truth,
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And consumes youthfulness
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And nothing stands but for his scythe to mow:
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Eventually death (scythe) cuts down the aging man
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.....And
yet to times in hope my verse shall stand,
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However, I hope my verse will remain (continued on next
line)
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.....Praising thy worth, despite his cruel hand.
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to praise all of your worthy qualities
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.
Sonnet
60 Meaning
.
.......This sonnet says time passes
swiftly, just as swiftly as ocean waves rushing toward a shore. The word minutes
in Line 2 and the number of the sonnet, 60, suggest that life passes like the
60 minutes in an hour. Although a young man stands for a while in the bright
sunlight of youth, advancing age will all-too-soon appear as a cloud that hides
the sun. Wrinkles will appear and infirmities will develop. Eventually,
death–with its scythe–will come to reap its harvest. However, the poet’s verse
will live on to extol the qualities of the man as he was in his youth.
What's he saying?
"Like as the waves make towards the pebbled shore / So
do our minutes hasten to their end;"
Like waves moving toward the pebbled shore, the minutes of
our lives are ticking down,
"Each changing place with that which goes before / In
sequent toil all forwards do contend."
Each minute (or wave) replacing the previous one, in a
continuous forward march.
"Nativity, once in the main of light / Crawls to
maturity, wherewith being crown'd,"
The newborn sun rises above the sea and crawls up to
maturity (noontime), where it is kingly,
"Crooked eclipses 'gainst his glory fight / And Time
that gave doth now his gift confound."
But slanting eclipses challenge the sun's glory, and Time,
which gave the noon sun, now clouds it over.
"Time doth transfix the flourish set on youth / And
delves the parallels in beauty's brow,"
Similarly, time destroys the perfection of youth, and carves
wrinkles in a beautiful face,
"Feeds on the rarities of nature's truth / And nothing
stands but for his scythe to mow:"
And time feeds on the preciousness of nature's perfection,
and lays waste to all in its path.
"And yet to times in hope my verse shall stand /
Praising thy worth, despite his cruel hand."
And yet I hope my verse will stand the test of time,
praising your worth in spite of Time's cruel hand.
Why is he saying it?
This is one of the most famous of the sonnets and perhaps
the best illustration of the theme of the ravages of time. Each quatrain
engages the theme in a unique way, with the destructive force of time
redoubling with each successive line. Although the poet seems certain that
Time's destruction is inevitable, he is nonetheless hopeful that his verse will
get away with it in the end.
In quatrain one the flow of time is compared with the
incessant beating of the waves against a shore, each wave building in strength
and then crashing down again only to be followed by another in its place. The
second quatrain uses the sun as a metaphor for human life: it is born
("Nativity") and "crawls" (like a baby) until it reaches
its highest point, whereupon it is "crown'd" (with maturity) and then
proceeds to fall back into darkness, or death. Line 8 concludes the metaphor
with the assertion that Time both gives the gift of life and takes it away
again.
This sentiment is repeated in lines 9-12, only more strongly
and deeply. Time destroys the perfection of youth: he digs deep wrinkles in a
beautiful face and devours the preciousness of nature in its most perfect shape
- "And nothing stands but for his scythe to mow." (Time and Death
each were often pictured carrying a scythe.) Nevertheless, the final couplet
speaks of the poet's intention to outsmart Time himself, defying his
"cruel hand" by eternalizing the fair lord in his verse. This
intention has been expressed in previous sonnets; see sonnets 17-19 for examples.
Again, sonnet 60 may be the best exemplar of the theme of
the ravages of time. This theme is prevalent throughout the sonnets, and it
takes many different forms, sometimes referring to the destructive power of
time in general, other times focusing on the effects of time on a specific
character in the sonnets such as the narrator or the fair lord. The narrator
seems to be hauntingly preoccupied with the passing of time and everything that
it entails, including mortality, memory, inevitability, and change. He is distressed
over such things that he has no control over, and at times he appears to be
fighting a futile battle against time itself, just like the sun in line 7 of
sonnet 60: "Crooked eclipses 'gainst his glory fight."
Finally, some scholars have suggested that the ordering of
the sonnets does not in fact correspond to the chronological order of the
events they describe. Could this possible rearrangement be a deliberate attempt
on Shakespeare's part to defy the one-way linear progression of time? It is interesting
to note that certain sonnets with "special" (i.e. time-related)
numbers take up the theme of time themselves. Sonnet 60 is a good example of
this: note the pun on "our minutes" in line 2 - the phrase sounds
like "hour minutes" - this is sonnet 60, and there are 60 minutes in
an hour. For another example see sonnet 12, which begins, "When I do count
the clock that tells the time"; as we all know, there are 12 hours on a
clock face. Could these just be coincidences?
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