Shakespearean Sonnet

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“When in the chronical of wasted time” Shakespeare’s sonnet on love
Shakespearean sonnets refer to a list of 154 poems that were written by Shakespeare. These Shakespeare’s poems had various themes; varying from love to infidelity. They also had a similar structure; usually having fourteen lines grouped into three stanzas. These sonnets also maintained a common rhyme scheme. An example of a Shakespearean sonnet is “When in Chronical of wasted time” (Van & Bart 792).
When in Chronical of wasted time
When in the chronicle of wasted timeI see descriptions of the fairest wights,And beauty making beautiful old rhyme,In praise of ladies dead and lovely knights,Then, in the blazon of sweet beauty’s best,Of hand, of foot, of lip, of eye, of brow,I see their antique pen would have expressedEven such a beauty as you master now.So all their praises are but propheciesOf this our time, all you prefiguring;And for they looked but with divining eyes,They had not skill enough your worth to sing:For we, which now behold these present days,Have eyes to wonder, but lack tongues to praise.
Analysis of “When in chronical of wasted time”
Shakespeare highlights theme of love in “When in chronical of wasted time”. In the sonnet, he talks of how poets of the day are not able to put in a word the beauty possessed by the person being praised by Shakespeare, “but lack words to praise.”
The sonnet is made up of three four-line stanzas accompanied by a couplet that is two lines.

The sonnet also observes a rhyme scheme of ABAB CDCD EFEF GG.
Alliteration is applied as a literary device in line 5 and line 10, “Then in the blazon of sweet beauty’s best” and “So all their praises are but prophecies.” Personification is also used in the sonnet, in line “beauty making beautiful rhymes”. Personification gives the ability to perform human activities to the abstract things such as beauty. For example, “beauty making beautiful rhyme” Shakespeare utilized metaphor in this sonnet, in line 10 the sonnet says “so all their praises are but prophecies”. He talks of the old poet’s act, who had tried to describe the beauty of their times, and the same thing was happening to him. It is like they were prophesying of the beauty Shakespeare would encounter, and he would fall short of skill to describe the beauty.
Shakespeare is able to use syntax to express his theme freely. Shakespeare is able to create a dramatic effect by putting his main idea at the end of the sonnet. This also creates anticipation as the audience follows up the flow of the sonnet.
Work Cited
Van Es, Bart. “Shakespeare’s Sonnets.” (2004): 792-793.