Analysis of Sonnet 123: No, Time, thou shalt not boast that I do change

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



No, Time, thou shalt not boast that I do change.
Thy pyramids built up with newer might
To me are nothing novel, nothing strange;
They are but dressings of a former sight.
Our dates are brief, and therefore we admire
What thou dost foist upon us that is old,
And rather make them born to our desire
Than think that we before have heard them told.
Thy registers and thee I both defy,
Not wond'ring at the present, nor the past,
For thy records, and what we see doth lie,
Made more or less by thy continual haste:
    This I do vow and this shall ever be:
    I will be true despite thy scythe and thee.


Scheme ABABCDEDFGFHII
Poetic Form
Metre 1111111111 1100111101 1111010101 1111010101 1011101101 1111011111 010111110010 1111011111 1100011101 1111010101 1101011111 11111101001 1111011101 1111011101
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 596
Words 118
Sentences 5
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 14
Lines Amount 14
Letters per line (avg) 33
Words per line (avg) 8
Letters per stanza (avg) 460
Words per stanza (avg) 116
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 28, 2023

35 sec read
138

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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