Sonnet- 18 Short Notes
Eternal Summer
Eternal summer means everlasting beauty. Youth is traditionally compared to the summer season, which is the symbol of energy, and freshness. In his Sonnet 18, "Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer's Day", Shakespeare self-confidently declares that the beauty of his friend will not fade away because it is "eternal summer" or everlasting youth.
In fact, it will remain so intact that even death will not be able to snatch it away. His friend's eternal summer is created by the poet's verse. The poet is self-assured that his sonnet which will be popular to the next generations. As the sonnet is written as a tribute to his friend's beauty, the future readers will come to know this fact whenever they read it.
Summer's Lease
Normally it means the property of summer. In his Sonnet 18, "Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer's Day", Shakespeare uses the term to describe the beauty of the summer season. The season is traditionally held beautiful in England. Various types of fruits and flowers abound in this season. The season is rich in sight, sound, music and colour. In the sonnet, Shakespeare conceives summer as a lord, all the beauty of the season being under the charge of the period. The idea is that all the beauties belonging to the season are sure to die, while the beauty of the poet's friend will be everlasting.