Rhyme Scheme and Rhythm in a Sonnet by William Shakespeare — Quiz
Question 1 • Literature and Composition I
Owen is writing about the central ideas in "Sonnet 18” by William Shakespeare. But thy eternal summer shall not fade, Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow'st, Nor shall death brag thou wander'st in his shade, When in eternal lines to time thou grow'st, So long as men can breathe or eyes can see, So long lives this, and this gives life to thee. What is the central idea of these lines?
Answer
A
Beauty is not defined by the outward appearance, but by the character inside.
B
The author’s loved one will always remain beautiful in the lines of this poem.
C
Attraction, love, and mild summer days are all fleeting and soon disappear.
D
The author’s loved one will overcome physical death and summer is eternal.
Explanation
The speaker says the loved one’s “eternal summer” will not fade and that they will live on in “eternal lines” for as long as people can read the poem. This means the poem preserves the loved one’s beauty and memory. So the central idea is that the loved one will always remain beautiful in the lines of the poem, not that summer or the person’s physical life will literally last forever.
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