Poetic Devices in Sonnet 106
In sonnet 106, William Shakespeare employs various poetic devices including alliteration, simile, personification and so on. Let’s see the specific poetic devices used in the sonnet:
Alliteration
Alliteration is the repetition of the same consonant sounds at the beginning of adjacent words. Look at the 3rd line of this sonnet:
“And beauty making beautiful old rhyme”
The repetition of the “b” sound in “beauty,” and “beautiful” adds to the musical quality.
You can also find the repetition of consonant sounds in the 4th line:
“In praise of ladies dead and lovely knights”
See the repetition of the “l” sound in words “ladies,” and “lovely“.
Simile
Simile is a figure of speech that makes a direct comparison between two things of a different kind. “Like” and “as” are the words used in such comparison. In Sonnet 106, look at the 8th line:
“Even such a beauty as you master now”
The speaker compares the descriptions of beauty by the ancient writers to that of the Fair Youth’s in the present time (“such a beauty as you master now”).
Repetition
Repetition is a figure of speech where same words repeated in the same line to create a rhythmic and enumerative effect.
“Of hand, of foot, of lip, of eye, of brow”
The repetition of the word “of” emphasises each individual physical feature that are used often to describe one’s beauty.
Personification
Personification is a figure of speech that attributes human characteristics to things or objects or abstract ideas to create an artistic effect. For example, look at the 7th line of Sonnet 106:
“I see their antique pen would have expressed”
Here, the “antique pen” is personified. Antique pen refers to the pens of the past that past writers used to describe beauty.
Hyperbole
Hyperbole is an exaggeration. In this figure of speech, the statements or the claims are not taken literally. Look at the 11th line of this sonnet:
“And, for they looked but with divining eyes”
The exaggeration of “divining eyes” suggests that the ancient writers had extraordinary insight and foresight. This insight helped them to foresee the Fair Youth’s beauty at the present time.
FAQs: People Also Ask
Q: What does the speaker mean by Chronicles of Wasted Time in Sonnet 106?
The phrase “Chronicles of Wasted Time” in Sonnet 106 refers to the past literary works that attempted to describe the beauty (similar to the beauty of the Fair Youth) but failed to fully capture the magnificence of the speaker’s present experience.
The speaker reads the past literary works that praise the beauty and recognises that those descriptions were the prophecies of the beauty the speaker beholds at present.
Q: How were the poets of the past able to describe such beauty in Sonnet 106?
(Or)
Q: How did the ancient writers extol the beauty of youth in Sonnet 106?
In sonnet 106, the speaker praises the poets of the past for their ability to describe ‘beauty’ using appropriate imagery and language.
The speaker reflects on how ancient writers were able illustrate the beauty of youth through descriptions of “the fairest wights” and through crafting “beautiful old rhyme” in honour of “ladies dead and lovely knights“.
These poets praised the physical attributes of youth, such as the allure of the hand, lip, foot, eye and brow, using poetic language to extol the beauty of youth.
Despite their limitations, the poets of the past were able to convey the enticement and splendor of beauty through their writings. However, they were unable to express the extent of the beauty the speaker experiences at present.
Q: What does “divining eyes” mean in Sonnet 106?
The phrase “divining eyes” in sonnet 106 refers to the eyes of the ancient poets. This suggests that the ancient poets possessed a prophetic or visionary insight that enabled them to perceive beauty (the Fair Youth’s beauty) even before it fully manifested.
Q: How do we know that the speaker’s friend is truly beautiful?
Shakespeare’s sonnets, including sonnet 106, praise the beauty of the Fair Youth, the speaker’s beloved. Through skillful language, the poet portrays the youth’s beauty in a convincing manner, making the readers believe that the youth is truly beautiful.