Finally, the narrator resolves that no matter what happens in life (as new events to come are 'done' by Time) he will stick to his own constitution and be true to himself regardless of what any consequences may be. Copying down events and comparing written records with mental recollection is pointless because it wastes time in the present to do so, and time is continually moving (lines 9–12). There is little point in worrying about what has already happened, or for that matter worrying about what is happening now, but one should just live one's life for what it is. Even so, we ought to respect what was done before us however, that does not mean we have to revere it and at the same time an individual's pride would persuade one to think of these ideas as one's own, rather than something merely copied from the past (lines 5–8). There are changes in the physical world that may happen within one's lifetime ( pyramids), but that is not substantial on a personal level. The major theme is that years continue to pass and the narrator is naturally getting older with each passing year, but he does not feel that it is necessary for his character to change accordingly. Shakespeare addresses the ideas of change and growth in one's lifetime by metaphorically standing up against time Father Time. The meter demands a few variant pronunciations: line 10's 'wondering' functions as two syllables, and line 12's 'continual' as three line 11's 'records' (although it is a noun, not a verb) is to be stressed on the second syllable. This I do vow, and this shall ever be, (123.13)

× = nonictus.Īlthough every line may be scanned regularly, some lines may be otherwise construed, such as line 13 which can be read with an initial reversal:

= ictus, a metrically strong syllabic position. To me are nothing novel, nothing strange (123.3)

The 3rd line exemplifies a regular iambic pentameter: It follows the typical rhyme scheme of the form ABAB CDCD EFEF GG and is composed in iambic pentameter, a type of poetic metre based on five pairs of metrically weak/strong syllabic positions. The English sonnet has three quatrains, followed by a final rhyming couplet. Sonnet 123 is an English or Shakespearean sonnet. It is a member of the Fair Youth sequence, in which the poet expresses his love towards a young man. Sonnet 123 is one of 154 sonnets written by the English playwright and poet William Shakespeare.

Shakespeare sonnet 12