Poetic Form

A sonnet is a poetic form that is usually restricted to 14 lines. In addition, a sonnet is mostly written in iambic pentameter, where the lines follow a pattern of ABAB CDCD. Sonnets are commonly found in many of Shakespeare’s works, hence giving way to a Shakespearian Sonnet. In these sonnets, the structure of the poem is arranged in three quatrains, or four-line stanzas, and end with a couplet, or a two lines that rhyme.

Shakespeare’s Sonnet 73 is a classic example of a typical Shakespearian Sonnet. Shakespeare in this sonnet chooses to focus on the theme of old age. He thus writes in the first quatrain about the coming of the fall season and how the trees loose their leaves and the cold sets in. Shakespeare continues the theme aging throughout the sonnet by making references to a ‘sunset,” “ashes,” and a “deathbed.” Likewise, he ends the poem with a couplet that says that his love will only continue as long as he is alive. What makes the form and structure important in this poem is the fact that it is written in only 14 lines. Furthermore, the bulk of the material and allusions to an impending death are compacted into three quatrains. So much about life is said in so few words. In addition, just as life comes to an unexpected end, the poem ends in a couplet that shows reassurance about life. Thus, Shakespeare aptly uses the structure and form of a sonnet to truly express his intended theme of aging in Sonnet 73.