Romeo and Juliet Analysis

The first part of this poem describes nature. The narrator is counting the clock and the appears very passive and resigned he feels that time cannot be fought, waiting for it to pass, in a submissive manner. In the same way, the day looks already defeated, but it tries, unlike the "I", to fight, as suggest the adjective "brave", introducing a notion of combat. However, this is not the only meaning of this word, brave being polysemic : it has almost a visual significance, evoking brightness and gallantry. Thus, Shakespeare joins an attracting adjective to the "day", to finally make it appear even more vulnerable and pathetic, thanks to "hideous night". This opposition between "brave day" and "hideous night" emphasizes the day's weakness against the night, literally sinking in the night. This verb, sink, represents a long action and gives us the idea that we cannot discern the limits between day and night, we cannot point out "this is day", "this is night". It is something we are not aware of, we cannot see happening, until night has completely taken the place. This domination and hopeless fight could imply, by extension, that any struggle in life is a useless task. The violet is also under time control : it is once at its prime state, at springtime best, being emblematic of Spring and new growth, but then soon fades and dies. Here is presented the decaying of nature and furthermore of human, as violet is like a human being : once at its prime, then dying. Shakespeare presents us the same kind of image in the next line, describing sable curls, namely dark hair, having turned white due to the age. This word sable brings nobility, rarity and softness to the curls, but then is even more put down - as it is more precious -, by the whiteness. Behind this description, it is the youth coming to old age which is depicted. "Barren of leaves", line 6 indicates us what period the poem