SONNET 55 by William Shakespeare summary and analysis

 

Not marble, nor the gilded monuments

Of princes, shall outlive this powerful rime;

But you shall shine more bright in these contents

Than unswept stone, besmear’d with sluttish time.

When wasteful war shall statues overturn,

And broils rot out the work of masonry,

Nor Mars his sword nor war’s quick fire shall burn

The living record of your memory.

‘Gainst death, and all oblivious enmity

Shall you pace forth; your praise shall still find room

Even in the eyes of all posterity

That wear this world out to the ending doom.

So, till the judgement that yourself arise,

You live in this, and dwell in lover’s eyes.

 

At the outset of the poem the speaker states that neither marble (a durable stone often used in sculptures and monuments) nor the gilded (covered in gold) monuments, typically built for kings and important figures, can resist or withstand the passage of time. The speaker asserts that the verses (rhyme) he is composing will endure longer than the grand monuments built for princes and rulers.

The speaker suggests that the person he is addressing (possibly a beloved friend) will shine more brilliantly within the verses of this poem.

The speaker contrasts the enduring beauty of the person with the idea of an unswept stone, which has been marred or dirtied by the negligence of time's passage. Time is personified as "sluttish," meaning careless or untidy.

The speaker predicts a future when destructive wars will destroy statues and monuments.The act of destruction continuous, suggesting that conflicts and disturbances (broils) will destroy the work of skilled stonemasons (masonry).

The speaker imagines that not even the sword of Mars (the Roman god of war) or the rapid fires of war will harm the subject of the poem. The speaker describes the poem itself as a "living record" that will preserve the memory of the person being praised.

The poet claims that this record in verse will stand as a defence against both death and the forces of forgetfulness (oblivious enmity). The person being celebrated will continue to exist (pace forth) through the poem, and there will always be space for their praise within it.

The person's praise will endure for all future generations (posterity), as they read and appreciate the poem.

The speaker suggests that this enduring praise will persist until the very end of the world (ending doom), emphasizing its eternal nature.

In the closing couplet, the speaker concludes by asserting that as long as there are people to read his poem, the person he is addressing (likely a beloved friend or a love) will live on in his lines. He confidently states that he has given his beloved immortality through his poetry, and his words will continue to defy time's destructive power.

 

In Sonnet 55, Shakespeare beautifully expresses the idea that his poetry will immortalize the subject, preserving their memory far more effectively than even the most magnificent physical monuments, which are subject to the ravages of time and destruction. The poem celebrates the enduring power of art and the written word.