Question

Sonnet 2
by William Shakespeare

When forty winters shall besiege thy brow,
And dig deep trenches in thy beauty's field,
Thy youth's proud livery, so gazed on now,
Will be a tatter'd weed, of small worth held:

Then being ask'd where all thy beauty lies,
Where all the treasure of thy lusty days,
To say, within thine own deep-sunken eyes,
Were an all-eating shame and thriftless praise.

How much more praise deserved thy beauty's use,
If thou couldst answer 'This fair child of mine
Shall sum my count and make my old excuse,'
Proving his beauty by succession thine!

What is the effect of the volta in this sonnet?

It shifts the focus from the dying beauty of aging to the beauty of a new generation.

It redefines old age and youth to call attention to their similarities.

It contrasts the bliss and innocence of childhood with the resignation of old age.

It shows that old age is beautiful despite the decay that accompanies it.

Answer 1

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