What type of poem was shall i compare thee to a summer day by shakespeare?

Shakespeare's "Shall I compare thee to a summer day?" is a sonnet, specifically a Shakespearean or English sonnet. Sonnets consist of 14 lines, typically in iambic pentameter (a ten-syllable line with a stressed-unstressed pattern), and adhere to a specific rhyme scheme. Shakespearean sonnets follow the rhyme scheme ABAB CDCD EFEF GG.

The poem uses this form to compare the beloved to a summer day. The speaker expresses how the beloved's beauty and qualities surpass those of a summer day, emphasizing their eternal and unchanging nature in contrast to the ephemeral beauty of summer.

Shakespeare's sonnets are renowned for their poetic skill, eloquent language, and exploration of themes such as love, beauty, mortality, and time. Sonnets were a popular poetic form during the Renaissance and were frequently used by poets to express complex ideas and emotions.