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Time flies:
Shakespeare versus Herrick
William Shakespeare might be the best known author of English literature. Among his many
writings, there is Sonnet 55. In this essay, Shakespeares sonnet will be compared to
another poem: To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time by Robert Herrick. As will become
clear, the poems have both strong similarities and major differences; both Shakespeares and
Herricks poem emphasize the passing of time, and the effect this passing has on the world
and the people. This is depicted through the imagery and choice of words in each poem.
However, what aspect of time is stressed differs in both poems.
Shakespeare suggests in his Sonnet 55 time destroys. The physical destruction is
most clearly shown by means of the imagery of the unswept stone besmeard with sluttish
time (line 4) the passing of time makes stone look ugly and in the first couplet, in which
it is suggested that nor marble, nor the guilded monuments / of princes are everlasting. The
second stanza also suggest the destructive effect of events that are bound to happen in time:
wars, which are found through all of history, also have a very damaging effect on people,
buildings and the world in general. This image can be found in lines 5 through 8. In the line
wasteful war shall statues overturn, wasteful does not mean wars cost a lot of money, but
rather that wars devastate buildings, cities and countries; another word for to devastate is to
lay waste (Ledger). Mars, the Roman God of War, is also mentioned in these lines.
Opposed to the physical destruction, Shakespeare stresses the preservation of
memories and people through poetry. This contrast, that can be seen as the main theme of the
sonnet, is already apparent in the first couplet: contrary to temporary monuments, there is the
immortality of powerful rhyme. Shakespeare tries to immortalize the addressee of the poem
by writing this sonnet, for in his opinion or at least, the opinion of the persona whose voice
we hear the poem (Abrams, 217)

words, unlike monuments, can make a person live on
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through the ages (till the judgment day (13)), outlive generations (in the eyes of all
posterity (11)) and in short, become immortal.
Herricks poem also discusses the passing of time: Old time is still a-flying (2). Like
Shakespeare, he shows how time destroys, in this case, nature. When time passes autumn
comes, which makes the rosebuds from the opening line wither. This widely used image is not
only to be taken literally: autumn can also be seen as the beginning of the end of human life:
while spring is often thought of as the season of birth, fall is the season of the decay, the
deterioration of the human body, followed by winter, the season of death.
Unlike Shakespeare, Herrick doesnt seem to believe in the immortalization of loved
ones through poetry. That is why the theme for his poem is the clichd motif of carpe diem
(seize the day); the first stanza tells the reader of the poem to live (gather ye rosebuds) while
he can (while ye may), because now you are alive and young (this same flower that smiles
today), but someday youll be old and dying (to-morrow will be dying).
In short, both William Shakespeare and Robert Herrick use the image of time passing
to depict the brevity of life. However, while Shakespeare believes the destructive effect of
time can be conquered by poetry, Herrick tells the reader that life is but short, and you best
enjoy it while you can.




Works Cited
Abrams, M.H. A Glossary of Literary Terms. 7
th
edition. Boston: Heinle & Heinle,
1999. Print.
Herrick, Robert. To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time. The Norton Anthology of English
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Literature. Ed. Stephen Greenblatt. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2012.
1762. Print.
Ledger. Sonnet LV. Shakespeares Sonnets. Oxquarry Books Ltd. 2011. Web. 21 Oct. 2012
Shakespeare, William. Sonnet 55. The Norton Anthology of English
Literature. Ed. Stephen Greenblatt. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2012.
1175. Print.