Sonnet 100 is one of
154 sonnets written by the English playwright and poet
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...
. It is a member of the
Fair Youth sequence, in which the poet expresses his love towards a young man.
Structure
Sonnet 100 is an English or Shakespearean
sonnet. The English sonnet has three
quatrains, followed by a final rhyming
couplet. It follows the typical rhyme scheme of the form ''
ABAB CDCD EFEF GG'' and is composed in
iambic pentameter
Iambic pentameter () is a type of metric line used in traditional English poetry and verse drama. The term describes the rhythm, or meter, established by the words in that line; rhythm is measured in small groups of syllables called " feet". "Iam ...
, a type of poetic
metre
The metre (British spelling) or meter (American spelling; see spelling differences) (from the French unit , from the Greek noun , "measure"), symbol m, is the primary unit of length in the International System of Units (SI), though its prefi ...
based on five pairs of metrically weak/strong syllabic positions. The 5th line exemplifies a regular iambic pentameter:
× / × / × / × / × /
Return, forgetful Muse, and straight redeem (100.5)
:/ = ''ictus'', a metrically strong syllabic position. × = ''nonictus''.
The 3rd line exhibits a common metrical variant, the initial reversal, which is also present in lines 4, 7, and potentially 9:
/ × × / × / × / × /
Spend'st thou thy fury on some worthless song, (100.3)
The 13th line generates a somewhat complex rhythm, incorporating an initial ''and'' a mid-line reversal, as well as two non-ictic stresses ("love" and "wastes"):
/ × × / / × × / × /
Give my love fame faster than Time wastes life; (100.13)
Notes
Further reading
External links
Analysis
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sonnet 100
British poems
Sonnets by William Shakespeare