Question

100 Points

Read the stanza from Shakespeare’s "Sonnet 18.”

Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer's lease hath all too short a date:

What is the central idea of these lines?

A. To complain about the intense heat and humidity of summer.

B. To persuade a loved one to visit during a warm season.

C. To express love by likening a loved one to a nice day.

D. To argue that hot weather is more pleasant than cold weather.

Answer 1

C. To express love by likening a loved one to a nice day.

In these lines, the speaker is comparing the person they love to a summer's day, suggesting that the person is even more lovely and more temperate (moderate, balanced) than such a day. The comparison to summer, a season often associated with beauty and warmth, is meant to express the speaker's deep affection and admiration.