Hello friends today we are discuss this question, the question is -“… and this gives life to thee.” -What does ‘this’ refer to? Who is referred to by thee? How does ‘this’ give life?
‘This’ refers to Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18. ‘Thee’ refers to the poet’s friend whose everlasting beauty is the main theme of this sonnet..’’; In this mortal world every object is subjected to decay and loss. The inevitable influence of time devours all the elements of nature. So, beauty can never be preserved unless it is depicted in the lines of poetry. The poet is prompted to think that his verse possesses the power to eternalise his friend’s beauty; As long as human beings live they will read this sonnet and celebrate the beauty of the poet’s friend. Thus his friend’s beauty will be eternalised and his friend will live forever and shine through his poem.