That Time of Year (Sonnet 73): WBCHSE Class 12 English

Leave a Comment

Get summaries, questions, answers, solutions, notes, extras, PDF and guides for William Shakespeare’s poem That Time of Year (Sonnet 73): WBCHSE Class 12 English Literature textbook A Realm of English (B) Selection, which is part of the Semester IV syllabus for students studying under WBBSE (West Bengal Board-Uccha Madhyamik). These solutions, however, should only be treated as references and can be modified/changed.

Summary

The poem’s speaker asks someone to see him as he truly is. He compares himself to a time of year, specifically late autumn. He says to look at the trees, which have only a few yellow leaves, or no leaves at all. The branches are bare and shake in the cold. He calls these branches “bare ruined choirs,” which is a metaphor. It means his body, once full of life and song like a church choir, is now old and quiet.

The speaker then compares himself to the end of a day. He is like the twilight, which is the soft light in the sky after the sun has set. The light is fading, and soon “black night” will arrive. He calls the night “Death’s second self.” This is a metaphor comparing the sleep of night to the final rest of death.

Next, the speaker compares himself to a dying fire. He is like the last glowing embers lying on a bed of ashes. The ashes are what is left of the wood that once fueled the fire. The fire is being smothered by the very thing that once gave it life. This is a metaphor for how his old age is using up the last of his youthful energy.

The speaker says that the person he is addressing sees these things. This person understands that his life is nearing its end. This knowledge makes their love for him stronger. They love him more deeply because they know they will have to part with him soon.

Line-by-Line Explanation

That time of year thou mayst in me behold,
The speaker is talking to a person he cares for, telling them to look at him and see a representation of a certain time of year. “Thou” is an old word for “you,” and “mayst” means “may.” He is asking this person to observe the stage of life he is currently in.

When yellow leaves, or none, or few do hang / Upon those boughs which shake against the cold,
He compares his current state to late autumn. Just as a tree in autumn has only a few yellow leaves left, or is completely bare, the speaker feels he has lost his youth and vitality. The “boughs” (large tree branches) that tremble in the cold wind represent his own physical weakness and fragility as he gets older.

Bare ruined choirs, where late the sweet birds sang.
The speaker calls the bare branches “bare ruined choirs.” A “choir” is an area in a church where singers gather. By comparing the branches to ruined choirs, he suggests that the place that was once filled with the beautiful music of birds (representing the joy and energy of his youth) is now empty and silent. The word “late” here means “recently,” indicating that the loss of his youth is still fresh.

In me thou seest the twilight of such day, / As after sunset fadeth in the west,
The speaker shifts his comparison from a season to a day. He says that his loved one can see in him the “twilight,” which is the dim light that remains in the sky after the sun has set. His life, like this fading light, is slowly coming to an end. “Fadeth” is an older way of saying “fades.”

Which by and by black night doth take away, / Death’s second self that seals up all in rest.
This fading twilight will soon be replaced by the complete darkness of “black night.” The speaker calls night “Death’s second self” because sleep, which comes at night, is a state of rest that resembles death. It “seals up” the world in stillness. This comparison shows that the speaker feels his own final rest, or death, is approaching quickly. “Doth” is an old form of the word “does.”

In me thou seest the glowing of such fire, / That on the ashes of his youth doth lie,
He introduces a third image, comparing himself to a dying fire. He is not the bright, roaring fire he once was, but rather the last glowing embers. These embers are resting on the “ashes of his youth,” meaning the energy and passion of his younger days have been used up, leaving only these remnants behind.

As the death-bed, whereon it must expire, / Consumed with that which it was nourished by.
The ashes are described as the fire’s “death-bed,” the place where it will finally “expire” (die out). The speaker points out a contradiction: the fire is being “consumed” or destroyed by the very thing that “nourished” (fed) it. The wood that gave the fire life has turned into the ash that is now smothering its last flames. This suggests that life itself, and the time that has passed, is the cause of its own end.

This thou perceiv’st, which makes thy love more strong,
The speaker directly addresses his loved one again. He says that this person “perceiv’st” (perceives or understands) all these signs of his aging and approaching death. This understanding does not make the loved one’s affection weaker; instead, it causes their love to become stronger and more intense.

To love that well, which thou must leave ere long.
The poem concludes by explaining why the love has grown stronger. The loved one knows that they “must leave” the speaker “ere long” (soon), because he will pass away. The awareness that their time together is short makes the love they share more precious and deeply felt.

Textbook Solutions

1. Discuss the various images drawn by Shakespeare in Sonnet 73.

Answer: In Sonnet 73, Shakespeare uses a series of powerful images across three quatrains to illustrate the theme of aging and the approach of death.

The first quatrain presents the image of late autumn. The speaker asks the beloved to see him as that time of year when only a few yellow leaves, or perhaps none at all, are left hanging on the tree boughs. These branches are described as shaking in the cold, and are compared to bare ruined choirs where sweet birds once sang. This imagery evokes a sense of decay, coldness, and the loss of vitality and song, symbolising the end of a vibrant life.

The second quatrain shifts the imagery from the end of a year to the end of a day. Here, the speaker compares himself to the twilight that lingers after the sun has set in the west. This fading light is soon to be extinguished by the arrival of black night, which is personified as Death’s second self, a force that brings a final rest to all things. This image shortens the time frame, making the sense of an ending more immediate.

The third quatrain introduces the most intense and personal image, that of a dying fire. The speaker sees himself as the glowing embers of a fire that is lying on the ashes of its own youth. The fire is on its death-bed and is paradoxically being consumed by the very fuel that once nourished it. This image powerfully captures the idea that the process of living and the passions of youth inevitably lead to the exhaustion of life itself.

2. Explain how does the Sonnet form help the sonneteer to expand the theme in Sonnet 73

Answer: The traditional Shakespearean sonnet form, consisting of three quatrains and a concluding couplet, provides a perfect structure for the sonneteer to develop and expand the theme in Sonnet 73.

The structure of three distinct quatrains allows the poet to present three parallel metaphors for his advancing age and mortality. Each quatrain explores the theme from a different perspective: the first uses the image of late autumn, the second uses the image of twilight, and the third uses the image of a dying fire. This progression allows for an intensification of the theme. The time scale narrows from a season to a day to the last moments of a fire, bringing the idea of the end closer and making it feel more personal and imminent. This methodical development in the quatrains builds a powerful and multifaceted argument about the speaker’s state of decline.

The concluding couplet provides the crucial “turn” or volta in the poem’s argument. After spending twelve lines detailing his decay, the speaker shifts focus from himself to the beloved’s reaction. The couplet reveals that the beloved’s perception of this impending end does not lead to despair, but instead makes their love stronger. It introduces the profound idea that love can be intensified by the awareness of mortality. Therefore, the sonnet form allows the poet to first establish a problem or a situation in the quatrains and then offer a resolution, a new insight, or a poignant conclusion in the final couplet, thereby expanding the theme from a simple lament on aging to a complex and moving statement on the relationship between love and loss.

Additional Questions and Answers

1. What season does the speaker compare himself to in the first quatrain?

Answer: The speaker compares himself to the late autumn season. He asks the listener to see in him that time of year when yellow leaves, or very few, or none at all, hang on the boughs. These branches are described as shaking against the cold, which signifies the end of a cycle.

2. What are the “bare ruined choirs”? Where did the sweet birds once sing?

Answer: The “bare ruined choirs” are a metaphor for the leafless branches of the trees. They are described as ruined because they are empty and silent, much like the part of a church where a choir would sing, but which has now fallen into ruin.

The sweet birds once sang upon these very boughs, which are now bare and cold.

3. How does the speaker describe the boughs in the first stanza?

Answer: The speaker describes the boughs as shaking against the cold. He notes that they have either yellow leaves, or none, or just a few still hanging on. He also refers to them as bare ruined choirs, which were once lively places where sweet birds used to sing.

4. What time of day is used as a metaphor for the speaker’s life?

Answer: The time of day used as a metaphor for the speaker’s life is twilight. He says that in him, one can see the twilight of a day, which is the time after the sunset fades in the west. This period comes just before the complete darkness of night.

5. What is “Death’s second self”? What does it do to “all in rest”?

Answer: “Death’s second self” is a metaphor for black night. Night is compared to death because it brings darkness and sleep, which is a temporary state of rest that resembles death.

This black night, or “Death’s second self,” is said to take everything away and seal up all in rest, bringing a final end to the day’s activities.

6. What is the third metaphor the speaker uses to describe his state?

Answer: The third metaphor the speaker uses to describe his state is that of a glowing fire that is near its end. He says that in him, one can see the glowing of a fire that is dying out, lying on the ashes of the fuel that once kept it burning.

7. What does the fire lie upon? What does this image represent?

Answer: The fire lies upon the ashes of its youth. This image represents the speaker’s old age. The ashes are the remains of the youthful energy and passion that once fueled his life, and now the fire of his life is about to be extinguished on these very remains.

8. Explain the paradox in the line “Consumed with that which it was nourished by.”

Answer: The paradox is that the fire is being destroyed by the very thing that gave it life and strength. The fire was nourished by wood, but as the wood burns, it turns to ash. These ashes then smother the fire, causing it to expire, or be consumed.

9. What does the beloved perceive in the speaker? What is the consequence of this perception?

Answer: The beloved perceives that the speaker is in the final stage of his life, as shown by the metaphors of autumn, twilight, and a dying fire. The beloved understands that the speaker’s time is short.

The consequence of this perception is that it makes the beloved’s love for the speaker stronger and more intense.

10. What is the central message of the final couplet?

Answer: The central message of the final couplet is that understanding that loss is near makes love stronger. When the beloved perceives that the speaker will not be around for long, it causes them to love more deeply and to value the short time they have left together.

11. What must the beloved “leave ere long”?

Answer: The beloved must “leave ere long” the speaker himself. The phrase means that the beloved will soon have to part with the speaker because of the speaker’s approaching death. This coming separation is what makes their love stronger in the present.

12. What specific images of autumn are used in the first quatrain? How do these images contribute to the theme of aging?

Answer: The first quatrain uses several specific images of autumn to describe the speaker’s stage of life. These include:
(i) The sight of yellow leaves, or very few leaves, or no leaves at all hanging on the tree boughs.
(ii) The image of these boughs shaking in the cold.
(iii) The comparison of the branches to bare, ruined choirs where sweet birds used to sing but are now silent.

These images contribute directly to the theme of aging. The autumn season represents the later years of a person’s life, just before the winter of death. The yellow and falling leaves symbolize the loss of youth, vitality, and beauty. The branches shaking against the cold suggest physical frailty and vulnerability that come with old age. The image of the “Bare ruined choirs” where birds no longer sing powerfully illustrates a body that was once full of life and joy but is now quiet and approaching its end.

13. Explain the progression of metaphors across the three quatrains. How does this shift in scale affect the poem’s feeling?

Answer: The poem presents a clear progression of metaphors across its three quatrains, with each one representing a smaller unit of time:
(i) The first quatrain compares the speaker’s life to a season, autumn, which is a part of a year.
(ii) The second quatrain narrows the comparison to the twilight of a day, which is a much shorter period.
(iii) The third quatrain reduces the scale even further, comparing the speaker’s life to the final moments of a dying fire.

This shift in scale from a season, to a day, to a moment creates a feeling of increasing urgency and speed. As the time frame of each metaphor shrinks, the end of life seems to approach more rapidly. The slow, gradual decline of autumn gives way to the faster fading of twilight, and finally to the immediate extinguishing of a fire. This progression makes the speaker’s mortality feel more and more present and inescapable, heightening the sense that time is running out quickly.

14. How is night personified in the second quatrain? What is the significance of calling it “Death’s second self”?

Answer: In the second quatrain, night is personified by being given active, human-like qualities. It is described as something that “doth take away” the light of the setting sun. It is also said to “seal up all in rest.” These actions portray night not as a passive state of darkness but as a powerful force that actively brings an end to the day and imposes a state of quiet and stillness upon the world.

Calling night “Death’s second self” is very significant because it creates a direct comparison between the daily experience of nightfall and the finality of death. Sleep, which night brings, is like a temporary death because it involves a loss of consciousness and a period of rest. By calling night a “second self” or a copy of death, the speaker suggests that each day’s end is a small reminder of life’s ultimate end. It makes mortality a familiar, daily occurrence, reinforcing the poem’s central theme of the steady approach of death.

15. Discuss the complex imagery of the dying fire in the third quatrain. How does it represent the end of life?

Answer: The third quatrain uses the complex image of a dying fire to represent the final stage of life. The speaker asks the listener to see in him the “glowing of such fire,” which lies on the “ashes of his youth.” These ashes are described as the fire’s “death-bed.” The most complex part of the image is the idea that the fire is “Consumed with that which it was nourished by.”

This imagery represents the end of life in a powerful way. The fire symbolizes the speaker’s life force or passion, which is now fading to a mere glow. The ashes are the remains of his youth and past experiences. The idea that the fire is consumed by what once nourished it—the fuel of youth which has now turned to ash—is a paradox. It suggests that the process of living and aging inevitably leads to one’s end. Life is shown as a self-consuming process, where the very passage of time that sustains life ultimately brings about its conclusion.

16. How does the speaker connect the natural imagery of decay to his own aging process throughout the poem?

Answer: The speaker connects the natural imagery of decay directly to his own aging process by repeatedly using the phrase “in me.” At the beginning of each of the three main sections, he explicitly instructs the listener to view these images as reflections of his own state:
(i) In the first quatrain, he says, “That time of year thou mayst in me behold.”
(ii) In the second, he states, “In me thou seest the twilight of such day.”
(iii) He repeats this structure in the third quatrain with, “In me thou seest the glowing of such fire.”

This repetition leaves no doubt that the speaker is using these external, natural images as metaphors for his internal, personal experience. The decaying autumn, the fading twilight, and the dying fire are not just general observations about the world. They are mirrors that the speaker holds up to show the listener his own decline, his loss of youth, and his closeness to death. This technique makes the theme of aging deeply personal and immediate.

17. What is the argument presented in the final couplet? How does it serve as a conclusion to the preceding metaphors?

Answer: The argument presented in the final couplet is that the listener’s awareness of the speaker’s impending death will make their love for him stronger. The speaker states that because the listener perceives his decline (“This thou perceiv’st”), they will “love that well, which thou must leave ere long.” The core of the argument is that the knowledge of a limited time together increases the value and intensity of love.

This couplet serves as a powerful conclusion to the metaphors in the preceding quatrains. The first twelve lines are dedicated to building a detailed picture of the speaker’s decay through the images of autumn, twilight, and a dying fire. The word “This” in the couplet refers back to all of this imagery. After establishing the certainty of his decline, the speaker presents the consequence: not despair, but a stronger, more precious love. It resolves the poem by turning the somber reality of mortality into a reason for deeper affection in the present.

18. Explain the relationship between perception and love as presented in the final two lines. Why does one strengthen the other?

Answer: The final two lines present a clear relationship where perception is the cause and stronger love is the effect. The line “This thou perceiv’st, which makes thy love more strong” shows that the act of seeing and understanding the speaker’s aging and mortality is what directly leads to an increase in the listener’s love. It is not just love that exists in spite of aging, but a love that grows because of the awareness of aging.

Perception strengthens love because the realization that something is temporary and will be lost makes it more precious. When the listener perceives that the speaker is someone they “must leave ere long,” the value of their remaining time together increases. This awareness of impending loss prevents taking the loved one for granted. It encourages a more focused and intense appreciation for the person, strengthening the emotional bond. The knowledge that the object of affection is fleeting makes the act of loving more urgent and meaningful.

19. Analyse how the three central metaphors in the sonnet work together. How does each quatrain build upon the previous one to explore mortality?

Answer: The three central metaphors in the sonnet work together by presenting a progression of time that becomes shorter and more intense, thereby exploring the theme of mortality with increasing urgency. Each metaphor builds upon the previous one to narrow the focus on the speaker’s approaching end.

The first quatrain introduces the metaphor of a year’s end. The speaker asks the beloved to see him as that time of year when only a few yellow leaves, or none at all, hang on the branches. These branches are described as bare ruined choirs where birds used to sing, suggesting a loss of life and vitality. This sets the stage with a broad, seasonal image of decay.

The second quatrain shifts the timeframe from a season to a single day. Here, the speaker is compared to the twilight that follows a sunset, which will soon be overtaken by black night. Night is described as Death’s second self, a state of rest that seals everything away. This metaphor makes the end feel closer and more inevitable than the seasonal change.

The third quatrain presents the most immediate metaphor: a dying fire. The speaker is a glowing fire that lies on the ashes of its own youth. This fire is on its death-bed and is consumed by the very thing that once gave it life. This image of a fire extinguishing itself in its final moments brings the idea of mortality to its most personal and imminent point, completing the progression from a year to a day to a final, fleeting moment.

20. Discuss how the structure of the Shakespearean sonnet is used to develop the poem’s central argument. How do the quatrains present the problem and the couplet offer a resolution?

Answer: The structure of the Shakespearean sonnet, with its three quatrains and a concluding couplet, is perfectly used to develop the poem’s central argument about aging and love. The quatrains systematically present the problem of the speaker’s mortality, while the final couplet offers a surprising and meaningful resolution.

The first three quatrains each present the problem—the speaker’s advancing age and approaching death—through a distinct and progressively intense metaphor. The first quatrain compares the speaker to late autumn, a time of decay and loss. The second quatrain narrows the focus, comparing him to the twilight at the end of a day, making death seem more immediate. The third quatrain further intensifies the problem by likening the speaker to a dying fire, a powerful image of life being consumed by its own past. Each quatrain repeats the phrase “In me thou seest” or a variation, reinforcing the same problem from a different angle.

The final two-line couplet provides the resolution or turn in the argument. It shifts the focus from the speaker’s decay to the beloved’s reaction. The speaker states that the beloved perceives all this decay, and this perception does not weaken their love but makes it stronger. The resolution is that the awareness of impending loss makes love more precious and intense, because one must soon leave the person they love.

21. Explore the connection between the awareness of impending loss and the strengthening of love. How does the speaker turn a lament about aging into a celebration of love’s power?

Answer: The poem establishes a direct connection between the awareness of impending loss and the strengthening of love, suggesting that love becomes more valuable when time is known to be short. The speaker achieves this by shifting the poem’s focus from his personal sorrow about aging to the powerful effect this aging has on his beloved.

The first twelve lines of the sonnet are a detailed lament. The speaker describes his state of decay through powerful images of a cold, barren season, the fading light of day, and a fire being extinguished by its own ashes. These metaphors create a feeling of sadness and finality. He is expressing his decline and the nearness of his end.

However, the speaker turns this lament into a celebration of love in the final couplet. He states that his beloved perceives his declining state, and this very perception “makes thy love more strong.” The poem concludes not with despair, but with an affirmation of love’s power. The knowledge that the speaker must be left “ere long” causes the beloved to love him more deeply and well. In this way, the sorrowful reality of aging and death becomes the reason for a more intense and cherished love, transforming a personal lament into a powerful statement about love’s ability to find strength in the face of loss.

22. Trace the progression of time in the poem’s metaphors. How does this movement from a season to a day to a fire intensify the poem’s emotional impact?

Answer: The poem’s metaphors follow a clear progression of time, moving from a large timeframe to a very small one. This movement dramatically intensifies the emotional impact by making the speaker’s mortality feel increasingly urgent and close.

The first metaphor, presented in the first quatrain, is based on a season. The speaker compares himself to “that time of year,” specifically late autumn or early winter. This is a relatively long period, spanning weeks or months, and it introduces the theme of decay in a general, natural way.

The second metaphor, in the second quatrain, narrows the timeframe to a part of a single day. The speaker is now “the twilight of such day,” the period between sunset and the “black night” that follows. This shift from a season to a few hours makes the end feel much nearer and more definite.

The final metaphor, in the third quatrain, reduces the timeframe to the last moments of a fire’s existence. The speaker is a “glowing of such fire” that is about to expire on its own ashes. This is the most immediate and intense image, representing the final, fleeting moments of life. This acceleration from a season to a day to a moment creates a powerful sense of an impending end, heightening the emotional weight of the poem and preparing the reader for the profound conclusion in the final couplet.

23. What is the role of the beloved in the poem? How does their perception and love transform the speaker’s lament into a statement about love itself?

Answer: The role of the beloved in the poem is that of the observer and the subject to whom the speaker’s argument is addressed. The beloved, referred to as “thou,” is the one who perceives the speaker’s decline, and this perception is central to the poem’s meaning.

The speaker repeatedly directs the beloved’s attention to his aging state with phrases like “thou mayst in me behold” and “In me thou seest.” The beloved is not just a listener but an active perceiver whose understanding is the key to the poem’s conclusion. The entire description of decay through the metaphors of autumn, twilight, and a dying fire is presented for the beloved to see and comprehend.

The beloved’s perception and love are what transform the poem from a simple lament about getting old into a profound statement about the nature of love. The transformation occurs in the final couplet, where the speaker reveals the effect of his decay on the beloved. The beloved’s perception of this decay (“This thou perceiv’st”) does not lead to sorrow or rejection but instead “makes thy love more strong.” This reaction changes the entire message. It suggests that true love is not diminished by mortality but is, in fact, made more precious and powerful by the knowledge that time is limited. The beloved’s love gives a positive and meaningful purpose to the speaker’s aging process.