I magery:

1. Theme and Structure: The passing of time/ getting older is introduced in the first two iambs – the stress is placed on ‘time’ and ‘year’ emphasising the significance of the theme. Imagery: The first metaphor in the poem is introduced in the first line – the stage of the speaker’s life is compared with the time of year. Word choice and structure: ‘none’, ‘few’ ‘hang’ – iambic pentameter forces emphasis on these words all suggesting emptiness/ loss. Imagery: The ‘yellow’ leaves’ indicate it is autumn and therefore the speaker is approaching the end of their life. That time of year thou mayst in me behold When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang Upon those boughs which shake against the cold, Bare ruined choirs where late the sweet birds sang. Word choice: ‘Bare’ emphasises the idea of emptiness – perhaps the emptiness felt after death? ‘Ruined’ again suggests something that has come to an end. Word choice: ‘Yellow’ is a colour we would associate with death/ decay suggesting the approaching death of the speaker. Imagery and word choice: An extension of the metaphor, describing a tree during autumn. The word ‘shake’ suggests something unstable (life?). ‘Cold’ reinforces the idea of approaching death. Imagery: ‘sweet birds sang’ – positive connotations of word choice indicate the joy/ happiness of youth that has now passed. Tone: The tone in the first quatrain is fairly bleak – it is not an appealing image of death.

2. Theme/ Structure/ Imagery: New quatrain deals with new image/ metaphor. This time the speaker compares their stage of life to the end of the day. The shift from a season of the year to the shortness of the day reflects the gradual reduction in time the speaker has left. Word choice/ Symbolism: ‘Sunset fadeth’ reflects life ‘fading’ away. The idea of life (symbolised by the sun – perhaps the happiness of youth) coming to an end. Word choice: ‘black night’ – the only other colour mentioned other than yellow. Connotes death. ‘take away’ implies a helplessness/ lack of choice – life will be ‘taken’ by time. In me thou seest the twilight of such day As after sunset fadeth in the west, Which by and by black night doth take away, Death's second self, that seals up all in rest. Imagery/ Word choice: the imagery linked to death becomes more powerful in this quatrain.‘Death’ is actually mentioned here for the first time – sleep is metaphorically described as ‘Death’s second self’. Imagery/ Word choice: ‘Seals’ impliesfinality. ‘Rest’ is a term we associate with death – the idea of resting in peace.

3. Theme/ Structure/ Imagery: New quatrain deals with further imagery to convey the end of life. This time the speaker compares their stage of life to the dying moments of a fire. Again we see that there has been a shift in time – from a season, to a day, to a single moment – reflecting the idea that time left is shortening.. Word choice: the word ‘glowing’ implies the fire is coming to an end/ only its embers remain/ the last signs of a fire’s life Word choice/ Mood: There is a sombre mood created here through the references to ‘death-bed’ and ‘expire’ In me thou seest the glowing of such fire That on the ashes of his youth doth lie As the death-bed whereon it must expire, Consumed with that which it was nourished by. There is a real sense of finality here – the seasons are circular, night becomes day again – but a fire burnt out is final. Perhaps he is suggesting that the body – which provides youth and life – also ultimately fails us and causes death? Maybe he means that the fast pace/ energy of youth eventually catches up with us? Paradox: There is a paradox created here – the fire is put out by the very thing that brought it life – the ashes (the remains of what has burned) smother the fire (and kill/ end it. What do you think Shakespeare is getting at? Word choice/ Imagery/ Tone: ‘Ashes’ reminds us of death and cremation. There is a sadness/ poignancy about the idea of ‘ashes of his youth’ – we associate ‘youth’ with happiness/ life, and there is the sense here that the joy associated with youth much over.

4. Theme/ Structure: The turning point or ‘volta’ of the sonnet changes both the theme and the mood and tone. The speaker turns his attention to his lover – he makes the point that the idea of approaching the loss of something/ death causes our love to be stronger. This thou perceiv'st, which makes thy love more strong, To love that well which thou must leave ere long. Appropriate concluding rhyming couplet: The word ‘This’ refers back to everything that has been described before in the poem.The word ‘perceiv’st’ reflects the word choice earlier in the sonnet (‘seest’, ‘behold’). The second half of the first line reveals the nature of the relationship the speaker has with who he is writing th sonnet for (‘thou’). The speaker is saying that by seeing the stage of life he is at, the person being spoken to will love the speaker more.