The quotation “For beauty’s pattern to succeeding men” supports the former statement as the man is described as the model of masculine beauty for upcoming generations.
The speaker illustrates the man as the archetype of beauty. This natural imagery also shows how all living things come from earth and are returned to it, but with Time being the sole ruler of it.Īnother significant theme in the poem is conflict between youth/beauty and Time. This could relate to the context of the Shakespearian era, where women were at a great social and institutional disadvantage and did not hold the power they hold today, thereby having them represent the feeble quality of the earth as opposed to Time with its authority and machismo. Their power and reign are short-lasting and fades away eventually, whereas Time is the sole reason why these animals hold temporary power because it lays waste to all things.Īdditionally, the use of the adjective ‘devouring’, which explicitly means to eat something quickly and greedily, could relate to how fast and unexpectedly Time can devastate something without any hesitation or remorse. Shakespeare uses powerful entities like the lion which is potentially ‘the King of the jungle’ to portray their vulnerability against Time. In this quotation, the image of the lion’s sharp paws becoming ‘blunt’ – which is used to describe something not sharp and worn out – suggests how Time has taken away the lion’s ability to hunt, and therefore survive. “Devouring Time blunt thou the lion’s paws…”. In the first quatrain, animalistic imagery is used with examples of powerful and lethal animals such as a lion. The destructive ability of Time is a major theme throughout the poem, Time is depicted in a negative spotlight in order to highlight its detrimental qualities and its universal relevance – everyone and everything at some point experiences the wreckage of Time, whether it be youth, wealth, or life – Time is the ultimate universal power. The sonnet is split into three quatrains, with the first one attacking Time and its all-consuming nature. In Shakespeare’s Sonnet 19, we are presented with various themes mainly circulating around the characteristics of the apostrophe of Time, which is personified throughout the poem.
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