Analysis of Sonnet 11: As fast as thou shalt wane, so fast thou grow'st

William Shakespeare 1564 (Stratford-upon-Avon) – 1616 (Stratford-upon-Avon)



As fast as thou shalt wane, so fast thou grow'st
In one of thine, from that which thou departest,
And that fresh blood which youngly thou bestow'st,
Thou mayst call thine when thou from youth convertest.
Herein lives wisdom, beauty, and increase;
Without this folly, age, and cold decay,
If all were minded so, the times should cease,
And threescore year would make the world away.
Let those whom Nature hath not made for store,
Harsh, featureless, and rude, barrenly perish;
Look whom she best endowed, she gave the more,
Which bounteous gift thou shouldst in bounty cherish.
    She carved thee for her seal, and meant thereby,
    Thou shouldst print more, not let that copy die.


Scheme AAAABCBCDEDEFF
Poetic Form
Metre 11111111111 011111111 0111111011 111111111 0111010001 0111010101 1101010111 011110101 1111011111 110001110 1111011101 1111101010 1111010111 1111111101
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 677
Words 118
Sentences 5
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 14
Lines Amount 14
Letters per line (avg) 38
Words per line (avg) 8
Letters per stanza (avg) 531
Words per stanza (avg) 116
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

36 sec read
126

William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare was an English playwright, poet, and actor, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's greatest dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon". more…

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