Shakespeare, William - When i do count the clock that tells the time

Name: Shakespeare, William - When i do count the clock that tells the time
Rating: 4.0 (3 reviews)
Author: sirenetta

Revisionato il 09/07/2026

di sirenetta

1 min

Genius

Vota 4/5

Contenuto verificato e approvato dal Team di Esperti di Skuola.net

Delve into Shakespeare's exploration of time's destructive nature and the vital role of procreation in countering mortality. This sonnet vividly illustrates the transient beauty of life and emphasizes the necessity of creating new life to resist time's relentless passage.

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When I do count the clock that tells the time,

And see the brave day sunk in hideous night;

When I behold the violet past prime,

And sable curls, all silver'd o'er with white;

When lofty trees I see barren of leaves,

Which erst from heat did canopy the herd,

And summer's green all girded up in sheaves,

Borne on the bier with white and bristly beard;

Then of thy beauty do I question make,

That thou among the wastes of time must go,

Since sweets and beauties do themselves forsake,

And die as fast as they see others grow;

And nothing 'gainst Time's scythe can make defence

Save breed, to brave him when he takes thee hence.

In the first quatrain:

Time rappresent the nature

The day rappresent tha young people

The night rappresent the old people

Shakespeare, William - When i do count the clock that tells the time articolo

The passage of time

The sonnet's meaning is contained, as is usual in Shakespeare, in the final rhymed couplet: nothing can oppose time's destructive power except marriage and procreation. vita ed opere di William Shakespeare The first two "When"-quatrains describe the passing of time in a progression that from the image of the clock-dial in line 1 reaches the more elaborate metaphor of lines 7-8. The images became images of death for the passing of time. To counteract death's levelling action, anex life needs to be created.