Shakespeare’s Concept of "Perfection" in Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer's Day?
In Sonnet 18, Shakespeare presents a nuanced concept of “perfection,” using the metaphor of a summer’s day to contrast the idealized beauty of the beloved with the imperfections found in nature. Through this comparison, Shakespeare explores the idea that true beauty is not defined by physical attributes but by the enduring qualities that transcend time and impermanence.
The poem begins by suggesting that the beloved’s beauty is comparable to that of a summer’s day. Summer, often associated with warmth and vitality, is traditionally seen as a time of beauty. However, Shakespeare quickly points out that summer is far from perfect—its beauty is fleeting, it is subject to “rough winds,” and it can be “too short.” By highlighting these flaws, Shakespeare elevates the beloved above the transient and imperfect beauty of nature.
The poem then redefines the concept of perfection. Rather than being tied to physical beauty that fades with time, perfection in Sonnet 18 is linked to the eternal qualities that poetry can capture. The speaker asserts that the beloved’s beauty will never fade, as it is immortalized through the poem. This shift in focus from physical to artistic perfection suggests that true beauty lies in the timeless qualities that live on in memory and art, rather than in the fleeting beauty of the natural world.
In conclusion, Sonnet 18 explores the concept of perfection in a way that transcends the limitations of the physical world. Shakespeare uses the comparison to summer to challenge conventional ideas of beauty, proposing that true perfection is found in the immortalization of beauty through poetry, which endures beyond the constraints of time and nature.