"That time of year"

                William Shakespeare beautifully employs imagery to characterize the progression of life into death in the short poem “That time of year.” In the first quatrain of the poem, Shakespeare describes the time of year, autumn, in which the abundance of flourishing life which is seen in summer gradually ages and begins to die. Shakespeare embodies this transformation by describing in detail a large tree. While in the summer, the branches of the tree were surely saturated with green leaves and chirping birds, Shakespeare describes a tree in autumn where the leaves are withering and the birds dispersing. Similarly, within the second quatrain of the poem, Shakespeare explains that the arrival of twilight can be seen within in him. The peak of his life, or the daytime, is apparently drawing to a close, and the darkness of night is lurking on the edges of the twilight present within him, ready to overtake the faint light of the evening. Lastly, Shakespeare compares his fading life to a glowing fire. His youthfulness and vibrant life are personified as ashes, indicating that time has forced these ideal stages of life to disintegrate, and the ashes themselves become his youth’s deathbed. By creating this very detailed and intricate imagery, Shakespeare effectively pinpoints the subtlety and beauty of the gradual progression of life from youthful bounty to age, barrenness, and eventual death. The fact that the poem is titled “That time of year” is significant in that it draws attention to the fact that Shakespeare described autumn rather than winter. The focus of Shakespeare’s poem was on the upcoming arrival of death, not death itself; therefore, he describes the withering autumn rather than winter, twilight rather than nighttime, and the glowing of a fire than a raging fire which consumes everything surrounding it.

                The most intriguing aspect of this poem, however, is the final couplet in which Shakespeare writes, “This thou perceivest, which makes thy love more strong, to love that well which thou must leave ere long” (Shakespeare, 967). Before reading this final couplet of the poem, the reader may assume the poem’s purpose is merely to discuss the withering away of vibrancy and the gradual arrival of old age and death. Nevertheless, by addressing another person in the final couplet and indicating that this person loves him, Shakespeare includes a romantic element into “That time of year.” The purpose of the final of couplet is to note that one who is willing to love another unconditionally despite the fact that he or she is nearing death is both admirable and brave. Loving something which is destined to depart from them is very difficult for many people, so with this final couplet, Shakespeare commends those who are willing to give their hearts to someone despite the fact that their death is not a long way off. In fact, Shakespeare even goes so far as to say that loving someone in spite of their upcoming death makes the love itself even stronger.