Sonnet 73 , William Shakespeare - analysis

This is a traditional sonnet comprised of fourteen rhymed lines of ten syllables. Each line has five feet consisting of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed one, indicating the poem was written in iambic pentameter. The seven rhyming pairs are set out in the scheme introduced by Surrey; ABAB CDCD EFEF GG. The opening line is an example of enjambement. It is only by continuing to the second line that the reader will find …

…to what follows. The love is stronger for its awareness of the short time remaining, and the repetition of that word 'love' emphasises its importance to the sonnet. It is generally believed that the first 126 sonnets of Shakespeare were addressed to a man. The voice of this 73rd is that of an older man addressing a younger male. The language is informal and intimate in tone, but also appreciative and trusting of his companion's affection