MID-TERM CRITICAL APPROACHES

ENGLISH LITERATURE DEPARTMENT

FACULTY OF ADAB AND HUMANITY
UIN SYARIF HIDAYATULLAH JAKARTA
Member of group 3, 4A:
- Syafa Audrina (11210260000013)
- Fadhila Nur Jayanti (11210260000017)
- Lauvia Shabrinnah (11210260000024)
- Yulia Nurhalimah (11210260000038)
A Feminist Perspective of Shakespeare’s Sonnets: Shall I Compare Thee
to a Summer’s Day
In a poem entitled Shall I Compare Thee to A Summer's Day which was composed by
William Shakespeare who is an English actor and writer who is famous for being the world's
greatest playwright (Mukherji, 2020). Has written 154 sonnets, one of which is titled Shall I
Compare Thee to A Summer's Day which is found in the 18th sonnet which has pros and cons
in understanding the point of view of this poem. This poem has the theme of love poetry
which is shown to a woman, but this is subjective because when reading the poetry it can be
shown to anyone regardless of sexual orientation or gender. The basis of flattery in this poem
focuses on the beauty and tenderness of a person that is owned by the person being talked
about. In the analysis of this poem, it is compared with other sources, such as one of the
journals entitled Teaching Shakespeare Sonnet says that this poem shows more of the poet's
connection to the beauty of someone who is being loved in spring.
This paper focuses more on how this poem emphasizes art and beauty, Beauty can not
only be found in objects that cannot change but can be found in works of art so that from
generation to generation it can last a long time and always be remembered. However, based
on other sources, a paper entitled The formalist analysis of Shakespeare's Sonnet 18 written
by Czech P argues that this poem describes the beauty of love which distinguishes it from the
temporary nature of life. The author hopes for immortality through this poem but with the use
of metaphors and images which are very focused in this poem. In comparing these two
sources, we can see the similarity of perspectives in this poem which focuses on celebrating
the love of poetry by using natural imagery which contributes to giving an understanding of
the meaning which is very significant. the conclusion of the analysis and interpretation of
Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer's Day by William Shakespeare is a rich and continuous
field of literary scholarship. This poem describes how true love will never end and will live
on through the poem itself, which people will continue to remember and read in the future.
Therefore, the value of the speaker is beauty and eternity in true love. the speaker's value is
immortality and beauty that transcends transient things.
In William Shakespeare's poem "Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer's Day?". This
sonnet does not directly convey its feminism contents, which are directed towards women or
men. The subject in this sonnet is only directed at you from the word 'thee’ which is a
pronoun but not a pronoun for gender. It's just that, in a few lines, there are sentences that
become a discussion of why this sonnet can be assumed to be directed towards women. In
line 2 "Thou art more lovely and more temperate," which is a question, is the author
directing this to compare the season with the idol of the heart?
The role of gender in this sonnet makes women objects that are described as summer,
which has beauty and warmth. Whereas in Shakespeare's era, love poetry was usually
addressed to women because most poets were men. At that time too, men described the
woman they loved with the subject that described women as more beautiful and warmer in
line 2, "Thou art more lovely and more temperate,".
In line 4 "And summer's lease hath all too short a date," when the beauty that is in
a woman begins to shake the man's feelings, the man will think that beauty and warmth are
temporary and unreal. However, in line 9, "But thy eternal summer shall not fade," it is
imagined that, although beauty and warmth are only temporary, sometimes they are
something more than imagined, even perfect and eternal, as long as the idol of the heart is
still alive and there are still eyes that shine can see it. In line 13 "When in eternal lines to
time thou grow'st."; in line 14 "So long as men can breathe or eyes can see," and line 15
"So long lives this, and this gives life to thee."
In this poem, reinforce conventional ideas about aging and beauty by using summer
similes. The beauty of summer is described as not eternal and at any time because the season
can change at any time, as described in lines 7-9, as follows.
And every exhibition of exhibitions sometimes decreases,
By chance, or the change of nature, is not pruned.
But your eternal summer will not fade,
In that sense, it represents the beauty and aging of women according to the
conventional notion of being judged by their youthful and beautiful appearance. Youth and
beauty are ephemeral and fade, like summer. Historically, the theme of summer has always
been used to evoke some beauty, summer is also a time of growth (Vivi Melaty Ruslida,
2019). Thus, women are likened to something that has the value of time in its beauty, unless it
refers to the point of view it sees.
Someone described in poetry is different from summer, because its beauty and
warmth are more enduring than summer. The difference is evidenced in the 9th line, "But
your eternal summer will not fade,". From the sentence of the sonnet, it confirms that the
eternal summer depicted in a person is eternal and never fades, as long as he is still alive and
still has eyes to see it. As explained in the 13th line "As long as men can breathe or eyes
can see,". In that sentence, the eternal beauty of a person will remain in that person's
perspective as long as he is still alive. This is shown in all parts of the poem which states the
beauty of love is different from summer and will never fade with time or disappear because
of various things. (Galuh Anggraini, 2020)
Shakespeare writes in his sonnet "Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer's Day?" about a
love that is more lovely and permanent than the fleeting beauty of a summer's day. According
to the poem's concluding couplet, which reads, as follows.
"So long as men can breathe or eyes can see, / So long lives this, and this gives life to
thee,"
the poetry itself may be the cause of the loved one's immortality. The poet has the capacity to
make their loved one everlasting via the use of language and art.
Shakespeare's sonnet reaffirms the notion that beauty may endure through time and be
preserved in works of art. The language of the poem itself is evidence of its potency. The use
of a metaphor—comparing the loved one to a summer day—shows how art can enlighten and
transcend the ordinary. The phrase "Nor shall death brag thou wand'rest in his shade" is
repeated several times to drive home the point that the beloved is exempt from the same
deterioration and mortality as the natural world.
In addition, the poem's form, a sonnet, is one that has been around for a very long
time. Shakespeare's sonnet is a monument to the enduring power of art since it is still read
and praised hundreds of years after it was first written. The rigorous rhyme scheme and
structure of the sonnet form produce an air of order and stability that supports the notion of
everlasting beauty.
Shakespeare uses metaphor to raise the topic of this sonnet from simple physical
beauty to a deeper and more enduring kind of love. The assumption that women are nothing
more than disposable objects of male desire is challenged by the concept that words and art
may immortalize a person. In order to subvert patriarchal expectations and advance gender
equality, feminist philosophy has frequently highlighted the importance of language and
representation. Shakespeare's sonnet serves as an illustration of how literature and the arts
can subvert and change gender-related societal conventions and expectations.
In the discussion above, it can be concluded that Shakespeare's sonnet has a point of
view that truly represents women by likening it to summer. The beauty depicted in women is
the same as that of summer, that is, they are equally beautiful and full of warmth. However,
there is a difference between the two, namely that summer is not eternal, while a woman who
is adored and admired has an eternal nature, as long as she is still alive. This poem is usually
intended for women, and the speaker is perceived as a man. At the end of the sonnet, the
speaker explained that love will last forever in beauty as long as the person looking at it is
still alive.

Works Cited
Lopez, M. M. (1996). Teaching Shakespeare Sonnet. Dialnet, 5.
Mukherji, A. (2020). Shall I Compare Thee To A Summer's Dat. Internatioanal Journal Of
Research, 1.
Vivi Melaty Ruslida, B. S. (2019). Figurative Language in William Shakespeare and William
Wordwordth's Poem. English Education and Linguistics, 145-154.