Sonnet 18: Beauty and Time's Effect
- The Enduring Beauty of Love: Shakespeare compares the beloved's beauty to various aspects of nature, such as the summer, spring, and precious stones, suggesting that their beauty surpasses all natural creations.
- Time's Inevitable March: The sonnet acknowledges the destructive power of time, expressing the fear that the beloved's beauty will eventually fade.
- Immortality Through Poetry: Shakespeare asserts that the beloved's beauty will live on forever in the lines of the poem itself, ensuring their immortality through the written word.
Sonnet 73: Aging and the Truth of Beauty
- Aging and Imperfections: In contrast to Sonnet 18's focus on eternal beauty, Sonnet 73 confronts the physical changes brought by aging and the fading of youthful attractiveness.
- Inner Beauty and the Soul's Essence: Shakespeare shifts the emphasis from physical appearance to the inner qualities and the essence of the beloved's soul, celebrating their true beauty that transcends physical changes.
- Honest Love and Acceptance: The sonnet suggests that true love goes beyond superficial appearances and embraces the beloved, flaws and all, as time takes its toll.
In Sonnet 18, Shakespeare celebrates the idea of beauty that surpasses time through poetry, while in Sonnet 73, he explores the realities of aging and offers an alternative perspective on the nature of beauty and the enduring power of true love.