Theme Of Love In Sonnet 55 And 116

The Spine of Shakespeare’s Eternal Love: Sonnets 55 and 116 William Shakespeare’s Sonnets 55 and 116 are thematically all about love and eternity. While both themes are important for the two sonnets, they work in different ways; the theme of eternity assumes an essential part while love assumes a supporting part. In Sonnet 55 the theme of eternity is immediately present within the work, while the theme of love develops throughout the sonnet. In Sonnet 116, Shakespeare reverses the thematic roles; clearly suggesting a theme of love from the start and then slowly develops the theme of eternity towards the end. Shakespeare does this by showing a complexity between the mortality and immortality of the themes. Such as in Sonnet 55, Shakespeare asserts the immortality of the poet 's sonnets, claiming that they can withstand the forces of decay over time. In Sonnet 116, Shakespeare writes about the betrayal and inconsistency of youth 's love, suggesting that love is mortal and is easily disrespected. In spite of this rudimentary contrast in how the speaker outlines these two topics, once set up, it gets to be distinctly obvious that the theme of eternity structures the spine in both works, while, the theme of love plays an …show more content…
While some might argue that love is a fundamental theme in the sonnets, it becomes apparent that eternity is the essential backbone of Sonnets 55 and 116. Shakespeare’s poems are records of his love. His love would not be known today if he sculpted statues, or painted pictures of his lover. Earthquakes and fires would destroy those, but poetry is eternal. Furthermore, love cannot be immortal by itself, it is only a feeling that humans have, and all humans die. Eternity is immortal and poetry is eternal, and that is how love lives forever. In the sonnets, love cannot be complete without eternity, but eternity can stand on its own, thus making it the primary role in both Sonnet 55 and Sonnet