# Sonnet CVII explained — Poetry

> Chapter companion for Poetry by William Shakespeare.

## What happens

The poet declares that neither his own fears nor the world's prophecies can limit his true love. He celebrates the endurance of the 'mortal moon' and the arrival of peace, asserting that his love remains fresh and that Death itself submits to him because he will live on in his verse. The beloved will find a lasting monument in this poem, outlasting tyrants' crests and brass tombs.

## Themes in this chapter

### Time and Mortality

The poet confronts mortality and the prophetic fears of the world, yet asserts that his love and verse transcend time and death.

### Art and Immortality

The poem promises immortality through verse, declaring that the beloved will find a monument in the rhyme, outlasting tyrants' crests and brass tombs.

## Character check-ins

### Death

Death is personified as a figure that now subscribes to the poet, acknowledging the poet's immortality through verse.

### Time

Time is implicitly referenced through the themes of mortality and the enduring monument of the poem.

## Key lines

> Not mine own fears, nor the prophetic soul Of the wide world dreaming on things to come, Can yet the lease of my true love control

Neither my personal anxieties nor the world's predictions about the future can limit the duration of my true love.

_The poet asserts the invincibility of his love against all fears and prophecies._

> The mortal moon hath her eclipse endured And the sad augurs mock their own presage

The mortal moon has survived its eclipse, and the gloomy prophets now ridicule their own predictions.

_Likely a reference to Queen Elizabeth I surviving a crisis or death, making false prophets of those who foretold doom._

> Now with the drops of this most balmy time My love looks fresh, and Death to me subscribes

In this gentle and healing era, my love appears renewed, and Death itself acknowledges my superiority.

_The poet's love is revitalized by peaceful times, and Death concedes to the poet's power._

> And thou in this shalt find thy monument, When tyrants' crests and tombs of brass are spent

You will find your lasting memorial in this poem, even after the crests and brass tombs of tyrants have decayed.

_The poem itself becomes an eternal monument for the beloved, outlasting physical symbols of power._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_28_se/chapters/cvii
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_28_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_28_se/chapters