William Shakespeare’s Sonnet 77 is part of the poet‘s renowned sequence of 154 sonnets. Like many of Shakespeare’s works, this sonnet reflects on the passage of time, aging, and the preservation of one’s legacy, with a particular focus on memory and the act of writing as a way to immortalize thought. The poem, written in iambic pentameter and adhering to the typical Shakespearean sonnet form (three quatrains followed by a couplet), uses metaphor and imagery to convey its message.
Shakespeare’s Sonnet 77
Thy glass will show thee how thy beauties wear,
Thy dial how thy precious minutes waste;
The vacant leaves thy mind’s imprint will bear,
And of this book this learning mayst thou taste:
The wrinkles which thy glass will truly show,
Of mouthèd graves will give thee memory;
Thou by thy dial’s shady stealth mayst know
Time’s thievish progress to eternity.
Look what thy memory cannot contain
Commit to these waste blanks, and thou shalt find
Those children nursed, delivered from thy brain,
To take a new acquaintance of thy mind.
These offices, so oft as thou wilt look,
Shall profit thee and much enrich thy book.
The Structure and Tone of Sonnet 77
Sonnet 77 follows the typical structure of a Shakespearean sonnet, which consists of 14 lines divided into three quatrains (each containing four lines) and a final rhyming couplet. The rhyme scheme of the sonnet is ABABCDCDEFEFGG. The meter is iambic pentameter, a rhythmic pattern of five iambs (an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable) per line. Shakespeare’s use of iambic pentameter gives the poem a natural flow, and this rhythm mirrors the passage of time that the sonnet meditates upon.
The tone of the sonnet is both contemplative and instructional. It is reflective as the speaker ponders the inevitable decay of beauty and time’s effect on the individual. However, it also carries a sense of urgency, as the speaker encourages the addressee to record their thoughts and memories, thereby preserving something of themselves for posterity. The tone is neither overly melancholic nor completely hopeful; instead, it balances the realities of time with the power of intellectual legacy.
Analysis of Sonnet 77
Lines 1–4
Thy glass will show thee how thy beauties wear,
Thy dial how thy precious minutes waste;
The vacant leaves thy mind’s imprint will bear,
And of this book this learning mayst thou taste:
In these opening lines, Shakespeare introduces three metaphors for time’s passage: the glass (a mirror), the dial (a sundial), and the vacant leaves (blank pages). The glass shows the physical decline of one’s beauty, which is directly tied to the process of aging. The dial, or sundial, marks the fleeting passage of minutes, reminding the reader of time’s constant, and often unnoticed, erosion of life. The “vacant leaves” refer to blank pages, suggesting that the mind (and its thoughts) will be imprinted upon them, and this “book” (likely a metaphor for the body or life) can be filled with the knowledge and memories that remain after the ravages of time.
Shakespeare here begins to establish the idea that the physical and temporal decay of the individual is inevitable, but the intellectual and artistic work (the “learning” that may be “tasted”) can transcend that decay. The speaker suggests that the mind can combat the decay of the body by recording one’s thoughts and experiences.
Lines 5–8
The wrinkles which thy glass will truly show,
Of mouthèd graves will give thee memory;
Thou by thy dial’s shady stealth mayst know
Time’s thievish progress to eternity.
These lines emphasize the physical manifestation of aging. The “wrinkles” on the face are a clear marker of time’s passage, and Shakespeare uses the phrase “mouthèd graves” to vividly illustrate the proximity of death. “Mouthèd graves” may refer to the open mouths of graves that “speak” or call to the individual, signifying the inevitable nature of death. However, the wrinkles do not only show physical decay; they serve as reminders of the inexorable march of time.
The “dial’s shady stealth” is a metaphor for the way time moves stealthily, without any overt notice, and yet, it is continually “stealing” life away, pushing it toward eternity. Here, Shakespeare reminds the reader that the inevitable progression of time leads not just to death, but into eternity—a theme that recurs in his sonnet sequence.
Lines 9–12
Look what thy memory cannot contain
Commit to these waste blanks, and thou shalt find
Those children nursed, delivered from thy brain,
To take a new acquaintance of thy mind.
In these lines, the speaker suggests a practical solution to the problem of aging and the loss of memory: writing. The memory, which is finite, may fail to retain all the experiences, thoughts, and ideas one has accumulated over a lifetime. Therefore, the speaker encourages the addressee to commit those memories and thoughts to the “waste blanks” of blank pages, thus giving them a form of immortality. The metaphor of “children nursed, delivered from thy brain” suggests that the ideas, once committed to paper, will grow and develop their own life, independent of the person who gave birth to them. These “children” represent creative works—poems, stories, or ideas—that can be revisited and appreciated by others long after the writer is gone.
Shakespeare highlights the importance of writing as a means to preserve one’s intellectual legacy. By committing one’s thoughts to paper, a person not only secures their own memory but also allows future generations to “take a new acquaintance” of their mind—thus ensuring a continued dialogue between past and future.
Lines 13–14
These offices, so oft as thou wilt look,
Shall profit thee and much enrich thy book.
In the final couplet, Shakespeare reiterates the value of the practice of writing, or “these offices” (the act of committing one’s thoughts to paper). The speaker suggests that the more one engages in this practice, the more enriched one’s life will be, and the “book” (perhaps a metaphor for one’s life or legacy) will become fuller and more meaningful. The idea of “profit” here is not financial, but intellectual and emotional. The “book” will not only preserve the memories but will also serve as a source of enrichment to both the writer and the reader.
Conclusion
Sonnet 77 is a profound meditation on the relationship between time, memory, and the preservation of self. Shakespeare acknowledges the inevitable physical decay brought on by time but offers writing as a means of preserving one’s intellectual and emotional legacy. Through vivid metaphors, he demonstrates how the mind can combat the ravages of time by committing thoughts, ideas, and memories to paper. Ultimately, Shakespeare suggests that while the body may fade, the written word has the power to transcend mortality and enrich future generations. The sonnet stands as a timeless reminder of the importance of art, memory, and intellectual legacy in the face of life’s fleeting nature.
