In the poem "That time of year thou mayst in me behold", author William Shakespeare attempts to explain to his readers the emotions one would likely feel during the passing of time and entering into old age, when one senses the end of their life is near. The theme of this poem is that of sorrow and bereavement over the certain fact we all must face, that of mortality. While death is certainly not a thought anyone enjoys pondering, this poem successfully puts into perspective the fact that everyone eventually breathes his or her last breath and it is a natural and inevitable part of the life process. Shakespeare attempts to make the reader see that it is he who is suffering from old age in lines one and five, and even in the title "mayst in me behold" (957). Shakespeare uses metaphors in this poem in order to communicate the sense of sadness and loss one feels as their time of passing approaches them.

Poets often use a metaphor to compare one thing, usually the intended subject, with another. More often than not, the poet will carry one metaphor through the length of the entire poem. However, in "That time of year thou mayst in me behold" (957), Shakespeare

This sense of urgency seems to grow to be faster, as one might imagine it does during the death process. As with anything, the closer you are to something expected, the deeper the emotions run. Shakespeare uses this pattern of passing time by using specifically the three aforementioned metaphors. The first metaphor comparing the autumn season to death would be the lengthiest of the comparisons, lasting a few weeks, perhaps months. This comparison allows for preparation, able to foresee the coming end. The second metaphor of the sunset lasts the course of an evening, less than one day. During the sunset, light is beginning to fade, much as one dying would perhaps feel as though they were fading away. Lastly, the third metaphor, which associates a fire, its embers and bed of ashes, to the process of passing on allows likely only a fraction of a second for a still burning ember to fade and die to ash, making the death process nearly instantaneous. This comparison allows a reader to feel the startling sense of urgency one likely would feel knowing these precious seconds are to be their last.

A second metaphor Shakespeare uses to drive home the emotions during the death process is to compare those feelings of death, and death itself, to a sunset. Daytime represents a time of light and a time when all people are full of life, and going on about that such life. Sunsets hint at the ending of a bright day, soon to be dark and sleepy, a time when people are at rest. In this poem, however, the comparison to sunset, and that of the nighttime, is to be perceived by the reader as an eternal night and eternal sleep, never to

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Approximate Word count = 1102
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)