Shakespeare Sonnet 7

Recently, I read Shakespeare’s Sonnet 7. I was intrigued by the fact that it follows the sun instead of any person, place, or thing. The sun is technically a thing, however, it’s unattainable and therefore somewhat mysterious and unreachable to us all. 

The narrator of this poem is unclear. It is not the sun, that is for sure. The narrator is the author, or rather, Shakespeare himself. However, he writes this sonnet in such a way that the narrator becomes whoever is reading the poem, which I found quite enticing. Perhaps it’s the usage of archaic for, which was naturally popular at the time, but reading this poem felt quite personal and very artistic. 

After reading, I found it very interesting how Shakespeare compared the sun to the life of a man. Within this piece, many people admire the sun in its youth and middle age, but no longer do so once the sun begins to set. Unless, of course, the sun/man has a son to admire him. I think there is a tad bit of truth to this, we often do look down upon the elderly. However, as someone who has worked in a nursing home, I disagree that the elderly are not beautiful. It may be a mature beauty, but it is astounding nonetheless. Yes, aging does have its own set of challenges, but it also provides decades of wisdom and experience. Making them fascinating individuals. In my humble opinion, I think that all aspects of life, including age, should be appreciated for what they are. There are just as many disadvantages to being young as there are to being old. After all, outside of this sonnet, there is a reason that the sunset is so beautiful.

Read Shakespeare's Sonnet 7: https://www.folger.edu/explore/shakespeares-works/shakespeares-sonnets/read/7/