Fair Youth Theme in Sonnets 18-126 by William Shakespeare Essay Example

Did you know that Shakespeare's Sonnets, often regarded as having some of the best lyrics in the English language, received almost no attention during his lifetime and for nearly two centuries afterward? The unknown young man addressed by the loving poet in the largest sequence of sonnets is known as the "Fair Youth."

Thesis: Shakespeare's relationship with the fair youth is described in romantic and loving terms in sonnets 18-126, a fact that has prompted some critics to speculate about a homosexual relationship between them, while others read these sonnets as platonic love.

Sonnet 18 is a far more traditional poem. The tone of the Sonnet 18 is that of the romantic intimacy of a young man intrigued by a woman's beauty. One way to identify the 2 themes in sonnet 18 is, by representing his muse in the most divine way possible, and how love (which is  the poet's language) can help to preserve the muse's natural beauty. The first line is among Shakespare’s most famous, “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?” (18.1), because they are direct affirmations of the poet's admiration for his subject's beauty. Shakespeare used a sophisticated metaphor to relate his subject to summer, but he does so in an uncomplicated manner. The poet remains quite convectional when summer fades away and the days shift to winter; his friend surpasses the beauty of summer. Meanwhile, the poet's closing words are bold statements of his ability to retain the beauty of his love in his verses and he expresses his admiration for himself and his ability to write. "So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,(18.13) / So long lives this and this gives life to thee.” (18.14) In the final three lines, he implies that his muse will live on in his eternal poem forever.

Shakespeare's beliefs about love and beauty, on the other hand, are sometimes not always so straightforward. The 24th of Shakespeare's  154 sonnets, is also known as 'Mine eye hath played the painter and hath steeled.'(24.1) It's part of the long and well-known Fair Youth sonnet sequence (numbers 1 through 126). “To find where your true image pictured lies.” (24.6)

The poet concentrates on a meaning of "true" in the sense of genuine as opposed to counterfeit when he writes in Sonnet 24 about finding "where your true image pictured lies." The beauty of a young man is frequently portrayed as a shape or aspect. Paintings, photographs, and visual images, as well as forms, shadows, reflected shapes, and perspective, all suggest that the youth's genuine image is, in fact, a mirage.

Sonnet 116 is also dedicated to the person with whom the speaker is deeply in love. This sonnet is about steadfastness and loving love. The poem has a calm and certain tone to it. Sonnet 116's speaker employs a lot of visual imagery to convey the quality of love. It's easy to see why the speaker is referring to platonic love when we consider the type of love that is referred to in this sonnet.The main point of this sonnet is to define true love by first defining what love is not. The speaker (the poet) then goes to the final couplet, “If this be error and upon me proved, I never writ, nor no man ever loved.”(116.13,14) Claiming that if what he has proposed is wrong, his writing is meaningless, and no man has ever known love.

Sonnet 98 is one of Shakespeare's many sonnets dedicated to the 'Fair Youth,' a significant lover or friend. The speaker shows his love and admiration for a young man in this poem. In Sonnet 98, Shakespeare laments the lack of joy he finds in the beauty of spring, comparing it to the beauty of his absent friend. He compares these spring and summer objects of beauty to the youth's beauty and concludes that they are imperfect copies of his friend's appearance: "They were but sweet, but figures of delight, (98.11) / Drawn after you, you pattern of all those."(98.12). 

In conclusion, sonnets 18-126, Shakespeare describes his relationship with the fair youth in romantic and loving terms, prompting some critics to hypothesise about a homophobic relationship between them, while others see these sonnets as platonic love.Sonnets 18-126 mark the growing disdain for the poet by the young person, their involvement with the mistress, and the ultimate separation of the poet (Shakespeare) and the young (fair youth). It continues with the poet's passionate appreciation, which can be homoerotic at times, as the friendship develops. Sonnet 18 marks the beginning of what we can kind of describe as the second act of the sonnets. Although William Shakespeare has not been alive for many centuries, he still leaves behind an everlasting legacy.