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Essay Archive - Shakespeare's Sonnet 19
Shakespeare's Sonnet 19
In his Sonnet 19, Shakespeare presents the timeless theme of Time's mutability.
As the lover apostrophizes Time, one might expect him to address "old Time" as
inconstant, for such an epithet implies time's changeability. But inconstant
also suggests capricious, and the lover finds time more grave than whimsical in
its alterations. With the epithet "devouring" he addresses a greedy, ravenous
hunger, a Time that is wastefully destructive.
Conceding to Time its wrongs, the lover at first appears to encourage Time to
satisfy its insatiable appetite. Indeed, he familiarly addresses Time as "thou"
as he commands it harsh....
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