The Idea of Time in Shakespeare's Sonnets (PDF)

Bachelor Thesis from the year 2014 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Literature, grade: 1,6, University of Leipzig (Anglistics), language: English, abstract: In this thesis essential sonnets of Shakespeare will be analysed thoroughly and examined for proof of a narrative that addresses philosophical thoughts on the concept of time and characterises it as an antagonist in a fight with the poet character over his subject of affection, the young friend and his beauty.

While the sonnets are usually treated as individual pieces of work, there are connections between them one cannot oversee when reading them consecutively. The idea of time is one of those connections and a case can be made that it is a constant character in this series of sonnets.

This description of the concept of time concurrently brings to mind the poet character¿s protagonist role in the sequence. Since the sonnets are read through his perspective, the reader is inevitably inclined to take his side as well. The third major character, the young friend, can thus be regarded as the subject of affection for the protagonist. Thus, the sonnets can be seen as a narrative containing three major characters and their journey.