Sonnet 18

Sonnet 18

Learning Objectives

At the end of the lesson you will be able to analyze Shakespeare's use of metaphor in Sonnet 18.
At the end of the lesson you will be able to understand the theme of eternal beauty as expressed in Sonnet 18.
At the end of the lesson you will be able to identify the structure and rhyme scheme of a Shakespearean sonnet.
At the end of the lesson you will be able to explain the Elizabethan worldview on beauty and mortality as reflected in Sonnet 18.

What do you already know about Shakespeare's Sonnet 18?

Analysis of metaphor and comparison in Shakespeare's poetry

Metaphor: A figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable.

The theme of eternal beauty in Sonnet 18

Eternal beauty: The concept of beauty lasting beyond the constraints of time and physical decay.

Structural elements of a Shakespearean sonnet

Shakespearean sonnet: A type of sonnet consisting of three quatrains followed by a final couplet, with a typical rhyme scheme of ABAB CDCD EFEF GG.

Elizabethan perspectives on beauty and mortality

Elizabethan worldview: The understanding and perspective of the world according to the people of the Elizabethan era, including ideas about beauty, art, and mortality.

Condensed Text

In Sonnet 18, Shakespeare compares the subject's beauty to a summer's day, suggesting that the subject's eternal beauty surpasses that of a fleeting season. The poem explores themes of impermanence versus eternity and nature's role in beauty and life. It concludes with the idea that the subject's beauty will live on forever through the enduring power of the written word.

Learning Goals

At the end of the lesson you will be able to analyze Shakespeare's use of metaphor in Sonnet 18.
At the end of the lesson you will be able to understand the theme of eternal beauty as expressed in Sonnet 18.
At the end of the lesson you will be able to identify the structure and rhyme scheme of a Shakespearean sonnet.
At the end of the lesson you will be able to explain the Elizabethan worldview on beauty and mortality as reflected in Sonnet 18.

Write down 3 things you learned in this lesson.

Have students enter three things they learned in this lesson. With this they can indicate their own learning efficiency of this lesson.

Write down 2 things you want to know more about.

Here, students enter two things they would like to know more about. This not only increases involvement, but also gives them more ownership.

Ask 1 question about something you haven't quite understood yet.

The students indicate here (in question form) with which part of the material they still have difficulty. For the teacher, this not only provides insight into the extent to which the students understand/master the material, but also a good starting point for the next lesson.