To Me Fair Friend Flashcards
(25 cards)
What is the central theme of Sonnet 104?
The enduring nature of love and friendship despite the passage of time and physical aging; the power of the speaker’s perception to defy reality.
Briefly summarize the sonnet’s argument.
The speaker acknowledges time’s inevitable passage but asserts that his friend remains eternally youthful in his eyes, emphasizing that true beauty and love transcend physical decay.
What type of sonnet is ‘To me, fair friend…’?
A Shakespearean (or English) sonnet.
How many lines does a Shakespearean sonnet have, and what is its rhyme scheme?
14 lines; ABAB CDCD EFEF GG.
Identify the three quatrains and the rhyming couplet in Sonnet 104.
Quatrain 1 (lines 1-4), Quatrain 2 (lines 5-8), Quatrain 3 (lines 9-12), Couplet (lines 13-14).
What is the purpose of the rhyming couplet in a Shakespearean sonnet?
It typically provides a summary, a concluding thought, a twist, or an amplification of the preceding themes.
Identify and explain one example of personification in the sonnet.
‘Three winters cold / Have from the forests shook three summers’ pride’ (Time personified as an agent of change/destruction); ‘Steal from his figure’ (Time personified as a thief).
What imagery is used to convey the passage of time in the first quatrain?
‘Three winters cold,’ ‘three summers’ pride,’ ‘three beauteous springs,’ ‘three autumns rich.’
Explain the metaphor of ‘dial-hand’ in line 4.
Refers to the hand of a clock, symbolizing the steady, undeniable progression of time.
What is the significance of the shift from natural imagery (seasons) to human imagery (figure, beauty) in the sonnet?
It connects the universal cycle of time to its specific effect on human appearance and highlights the speaker’s defiance of this natural process regarding his friend.
Analyze the use of the word ‘fair’ in the opening line and its implications.
Suggests beauty, impartiality, justice, and perhaps even light/brightness, setting a tone of admiration and a perceived ideal.
Explain the paradox present in the sonnet’s central argument.
The paradox is that while the speaker acknowledges the objective reality of time passing and its effects, he simultaneously asserts that his friend remains subjectively unchanged and eternally young in his perception.
Identify an instance of hyperbole in the sonnet.
‘To me, fair friend, you never can be old’ (an exaggeration of the friend’s unchanging nature due to the speaker’s perception).
What is the effect of the repetition of ‘three’ in the first quatrain?
Emphasizes the consistent and significant passage of time, establishing a clear timeframe.
How does Shakespeare use antithesis in the sonnet?
The contrast between youth and age, beauty and decay, the objective reality of time and the subjective perception of the speaker.
How does the speaker justify his claim that his friend ‘never can be old’?
He argues that his love/perception of the friend is so strong that it transcends the physical effects of time.
What does the sonnet suggest about the nature of beauty and love?
It suggests that true beauty is not merely superficial but resides in the essence of a person, and that love can create a timeless quality, preserving an image of youth and perfection.
What is the ‘sweet semblance’ (line 7), and why does it ‘keep your first state’?
Refers to the friend’s youthful appearance or the essence of their beauty. It ‘keeps its first state’ because the speaker’s loving perception holds onto that initial image.
Explain the meaning of ‘For fear of which, hear this, thou age unbred’ (line 13).
The speaker warns future generations that if they see his friend’s beauty lost, it is because time has robbed it, not because his friend was never beautiful.
To whom is Sonnet 104 most likely addressed, based on its themes?
One of Shakespeare’s ‘Fair Youth’ sonnets, addressed to a young man.
How does Sonnet 104 relate to other ‘Fair Youth’ sonnets?
It continues the theme of immortalizing the friend’s beauty, focusing on the speaker’s perception and the enduring power of love.
Discuss the speaker’s tone throughout the sonnet.
Adoring, confident, somewhat defiant of time, protective of his friend’s image, perhaps slightly melancholic in the awareness of time’s ultimate power.
What is the significance of the final couplet?
It serves as a defiant assertion against time and a testament to the friend’s beauty.
How might an essay question on this sonnet connect to themes of perception vs. reality?
An essay could explore how the speaker’s love alters his perception of time and age, contrasting his subjective view with objective reality.
