Transcript William Shakespeare

Not marble, nor the gilded monuments
Of princes, shall outlive this powerful rhyme;
But you shall shine more bright in these contents
Than unswept stone, besmear'd with sluttish time.
When wasteful war shall statues overturn,
And broils root out the work of masonry,
Nor Mars his sword, nor war's quick fire shall
burn
The living record of your memory.
'Gainst death, and all oblivious enmity
Shall you pace forth; your praise shall still find
room
Even in the eyes of all posterity
That wear this world out to the ending doom.
So, till the judgment that yourself arise,
You live in this, and dwell in lovers' eyes.
Not marble, nor the gilded monuments
 Marble was widely used in monuments for tombs
of the powerful and wealthy. The more extravagant
ones were large enough to house the coffins of
generations of the same family. Royal tombs would
be richly ornate, as those for example in
Westminster Abbey.

gilded monuments - Memorials in churches would
often be decorated with gold leaf.
Of princes, shall outlive this powerful
rhyme;
 princes - a word which was used to refer to all
royalty and rulers, male and female.
 powerful - in the sense of being able to withstand
time's destruction, and perhaps to confer
immortality.
But you shall shine more bright in these
contents
 But = in contrast to the things listed, you etc.
 in these contents - in the content of this verse.
Than unswept stone, besmear'd with
sluttish time.
 unswept stone - a stone monument left uncared
for. Those in cathedrals and churches would
generally be kept clean and polished. But older
monuments in churchyards gradually would be
forgotten and fall to ruin, as the living memory of
its builders and inhabitants died out.
sluttish = of unclean habits and behaviour; lewd. It
is descriptive of time's indifference to keeping the
world orderly.
When wasteful war shall statues
overturn,
 wasteful war - war devastates city and country,
hence the term to lay waste (from the Latin
vastare)
And broils root out the work of masonry,
 broils = tumult, fighting, disturbances, esp. in war.
The destruction caused by war, even in the days
before high explosives, was often made evident
when conquered towns were razed to the ground
by the soldiery. All buildings (masonry) would be
flattened.
Nor Mars his sword, nor war's quick fire
shall burn
 Neither the sword of Mars (the God of war), nor
the searching fire of war.
 quick = lively, fast moving, searching out.
The living record of your memory.
 Living record = the memory of you among those
currently alive; the memory of you which continues
after you are dead; the written record of your life.
Gainst death, and all oblivious enmity
 Gainst = against.
all oblivious enmity - enmity which seeks to
destroy everything, or is forgetful of everything;
time, the enemy.
 possible meanings of this phrase: entirely
unmindful; that causes forgetfulness; that causes
forgetfulness of everything; that causes
forgetfulness in everyone; that brings everything to
oblivion, causes everything to be forgotten.
shall you pace forth; your praise shall
still find room
 Shall you pace forth = you shall stride forwards.
The image is perhaps that of leading a procession,
or of striding on to a stage.
 your praise = praise of you, praise which is due to
you.
 still = constantly; for ever, despite all.
 find room = be given time and space (whereas
most things disappear or are lost with the passage
of time).
Even in the eyes of all posterity
 Even in the eyes of = in the very presence or sight
of, in the opinion of.
 all posterity = all future generations.
That wear this world out to the ending doom.
 That wear this world out. The most obvious
meaning is 'to destroy gradually by attrition',
So, till the judgment that yourself arise,
 On the final day, the day of the last judgment, even
those who died some time ago will arise from the
dead and be judged. After that date there is no
point in celebrating anyone in poetry.
You live in this, and dwell in lovers' eyes.
 in this - in this verse.
 live, dwell - the repetition of words connected with
'to live' (outlive, living, oblivious, arise, dwell)
counteracts the effect of death, war and
destruction.
 in lover's eyes - a reminder that this is also a love
poem, and a reminder of the power of love to
transcend mortality.
Questions
•Why do the rich and the powerful people get
monuments and statues erected in their memory?
•Describe how the monuments and statues brave
the ravages of time
•Why does the poet refer to Time as being sluttish?
•The poet says that neither forces of nature nor
wars can destroy his poetry. Even the godly powers
of mars will not have a devastating effect on his
rhyme. What quality of the poet is revealed through
these lines?
•Find out information on ‘Sonnets’