Sonnet 18

As a symbol used in metaphor here, summer evokes connotations of heat, lushness, and longer days. When in love, one experiences the heat of infatuation, the sense of life feeling fuller—almost to the point of extremity or exaggeration—and the wish the heightened feelings will never end. The beloved in this sonnet, however, is “more lovely and more temperate” (Line 2) than summer, indicating the presence of someone (or something) more extraordinary than a simple season. Shakespeare’s focus on the brevity of summer in the first half of the poem shifts, ironically, into the contemplation of an “eternal summer” (Line 9), which shall remain bright even after the “shade” (Line 11) of death descends. Shakespeare’s use of “shade” has a double meaning here, referring both to the literal reprieve one can get from summer heat by standing under a tree or by awaiting the season’s passage into autumn. Additionally, the analogy refers to the shades of Hades who wander around the underworld. The beloved (or, love itself) will always have a place within the bloom of life “[s]o long as men can breathe and eyes can see” (Line 13).