Dave Stevens

        In the next two lines of the poem Shakespeare looks at the possibility of somebody falling out of love with their partner.

Which alters when alteration finds

Or bends with the remover to remove

        These lines ask if you should you continue to love your partner if their feelings change. This continues Shakespeare’s idea of being faithful and then continues to think about the other person. He uses the word ‘remover’ as the one who falls out of love which emphasises the fact that it is their fault and they are the ones being unfaithful. This could also be used as an example of one of the obstacles, which Shakespeare explains exists in the second line.

        In the next two lines Shakespeare explores love being there forever.

O no, it is an ever fixed mark

That looks on tempests and is never shaken

        Here he starts to use metaphors to explain his viewpoints on love. In the first of the two lines he uses the word ‘mark’ which means buoy to show that the feeling of love does not change or move. He then says that love faces ‘tempests’ or storms and is still never shaken. These lines are a contrast to the last two as they now show love never changing.

        The next lines show how faithful you can be and that true love will always come through.

It is the star to every wand’ring bark

Whose worth’s unknown, although his height can be taken

        A metaphor is used here, love is the star to a wandering ship. It guides you and gives you direction. Also it means that you always follow it or always go back to your true love and also gives the idea of life and love being a voyage or journey. The second line means that love has no worth, it is priceless although it can be measured. This continues to expand Shakespeare’s ideas on faithfulness.

        In the next lines Shakespeare explains about love through time.

Love’s not Time’s fool, though rosy lips and cheeks

Within his bending sickle’s compass come:

        The first of these lines say that in love you should not have to be burdened by time for true love has no time limit. He writes ‘Time’ with a capital T because he uses personification to imply that time can stop or get in the way of love. He then says it is beautiful; ‘though rosy lips and cheeks’. The second line then expands on the idea of time and love by saying ‘when old age comes’. Time can be talked of as an obstacle of marriage and so Shakespeare continues his previous ideas.

        In the penultimate 2 lines of the poem Shakespeare talks about how love does not end.

Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks

But bears it out even to the edge of doom

        These lines are very simple to understand and give the clear message that love does not change once old age comes, but that it continues until the ‘edge of doom’ or death.

        Throughout the poem Shakespeare uses the word ‘his’ instead of ‘its’ to describe love. This is a form of personification that makes you think that love is living, that it is more than a feeling and that it does have emotions of its own. Also throughout the poem Shakespeare continues to expand on his original ideas of true or faithful love and the obstacles of love. These are his views and he uses the other lines to support his viewpoints very well.