Human Condition In Shakespeare Sonnet

In Shakespeare’s 15th sonnet, he gives his own account of the human condition for a dear friend. Shakespeare’s perception of the human condition rests upon the fact that people grow, reach a certain climax, and then they slowly drift their way out of history. Shakespeare uses a plant metaphor to illustrate human growth and decay, and then he gives his take on how to overcome time and live on forever immortalized in our own actions. Shakespeare begins the sonnet with a simple phrase when he says, “When I consider everything that grows.” By giving the reader insight into his thoughts, he allows us to truly analyze his work word for word. In this brief line, we are encountered with a simple thought of things that “grow” and this portrays a certain …show more content…
The imagery of “height decrease” indicates the start of slouching and aches that make a person lower than before and this symbolically lowers us out of perfection. He believes that as time takes its toll on a person’s body that they forget their once youthful vitality and are forever less than what they were before. He believes in his friend and that the “conceit of this inconstant stay/Sets you most rich in youth” allowing him to always be young in Shakespeare’s mind and quite possibly his work. This assumption is quite accurate in the fact that we will forever stay young in the memories of those who we have come to age with. It is this key principle that fuels our immortality among those who we have been around because we are only as immortal as those we know who live beyond us. Shakespeare believes that “wasteful time debateth with decay” until our very dire end giving the notion that as time goes on our memories are blurred and our bodies are filled with pain. The fact that time and decay are engaged in a battle suggests that as we get older they both try and take things from us until we simply are no more. However, Shakespeare believes that there is a way to beat time and that is for his friend to join forces with him. He states that he will be “all in war with time for love of you” for his friend. This unveils a secret affection and endearment by Shakespeare towards that who the poem addresses and that he will take on time through the immortality of his pen. Shakespeare tells his friend that as time “takes from” him that he will “engraft” him “new.” There is an emphasis on the word “engraft” because as an orchard farmer does with sick and dying trees, Shakespeare will do to his friend and revitalize and give youth to his life through his