This is an analysis of the poem Sonnet 104: To Me, Fair Friend, You Never Can Be Old that begins with:

To me, fair friend, you never can be old,
For as you were when first your eye I ey'd,... full text

Elements of the verse: questions and answers

The information we provided is prepared by means of a special computer program. Use the criteria sheet to understand greatest poems or improve your poetry analysis essay.

  • Rhyme scheme: aaaaababaaaaXa
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 14,
  • Closest metre: iambic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: limerick
  • Сlosest stanza type: sonnet
  • Guessed form: sonnet with iambic pentameter or irregular meter
  • Metre: 0111110101 1110111111 1111011101 1001011101 11001010101 0110010111 1100101111 1111111111 1111010101 1001011101 1111110111 1101111001 1101101110 1101110101
  • Amount of stanzas: 1
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 640
  • Average number of words per stanza: 118
  • Amount of lines: 14
  • Average number of symbols per line: 45 (strings are more long than medium ones)
  • Average number of words per line: 8
  • Mood of the speaker:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

  • The author used lexical repetitions to emphasize a significant image; three is repeated.

If you write a school or university poetry essay, you should Include in your explanation of the poem:

  • summary of Sonnet 104: To Me, Fair Friend, You Never Can Be Old;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by William Shakespeare