Topic > Communicating Love in Sonnet 116 by William Shakespeare

Sonnet 116 by William Shakespeare is one of his best-known literary works. This sonnet aims to define love by communicating what it is and what it is not. Shakespeare makes his point clear from the beginning of the poem: true love does not change even if there are circumstances that hinder it. Shakespeare then defines what love is by saying what it is not. Love is something that does not change even in the face of storms. It is not something that comes and goes, but "it is not the fool of time", that is, it is not subject to the passage of time. Shakespeare also compares love to a star, which sets the tone for the entire poem. The fact that I compare it to a star that guides every human being who wanders. The star represents a mysterious and almost incomprehensible force that guides us even if we cannot identify its position. Shakespeare uses imagery throughout the poem in a unique way that defines love for what is not. By comparing love to an immutable force such as time and mortality, and also by staking a personal claim in his statements, Shakespeare effectively communicates his views on love. To begin the poem, Shakespeare immediately makes an allusion to marriage. Not only does it mention marriage, but it also alludes to the actual wedding ceremony. To understand specifically what aspect of the wedding ceremony Shakespeare is referring to, the word "impediments" must be defined in terms of a modern wedding ceremony. The definition of impediment is “an obstacle or hindrance to doing something.” As for a wedding ceremony in Shakespeare's time, this would refer to the moment when the priest would ask both parties involved if... middle of the paper ......ison to love, which helps the reader to understand the points Shakespeare is trying to communicate. It is evident that Shakespeare believes that love is a force that is unaffected by the normal aspects of life. I think the most significant comparison in this sonnet that Shakespeare makes is to the idea that love is timeless. In a time when death would be such a strong force for society to deal with, the fact that Shakespeare was able to provide hope to those dealing with it would have been encouraging. During the Black Death many people lost loved ones and knowing that the force of death did not affect their love for them would have helped them persevere. Furthermore, by staking a claim and providing logic to support his views, Shakespeare was able to effectively communicate his thoughts on love in one of his most famous sonnets..