Final answer:
In Shakespeare's 'Sonnet 138,' love is personified to express the desire to remain youthful despite aging, a common technique in Renaissance poetry to explore broader themes.
Step-by-step explanation:
In Sonnet 138 by William Shakespeare, the line "And age in love loves not t' have years told" (Line 12) personifies love as someone who is sensitive to the passage of time. The personification implies that love, as an entity, prefers not to acknowledge the aging of the lovers involved. This poetic strategy adds depth to the theme, indicating that love itself tries to sustain the illusion of youth and vibrancy within an intimate relationship, despite the inevitable aging process. Such use of personification is not uncommon in Renaissance poetry, as it was used by poets like Petrarch, Shakespeare, Spenser, and Sidney to explore broader themes such as religion, relationships, and the nature of love itself.
Moreover, personification in poetry can bring abstract concepts to life, making them more relatable and accessible to readers. By personifying love in Sonnet 138, Shakespeare effectively communicates the emotional conflict of lovers who are in denial about their aging, thereby providing a window into the complexities of love that contravene the march of time. This technique underscores the universal human desire to remain youthful and in love, a theme that remains poignant in literature and culture to this day.
Comparing this to other poets of the time, such as Byron in Don Juan and Yeats in his poetry, we can see that personification and intricate rhyme schemes were stylistic devices used to add layers of meaning and rhythm to literary works. This goes beyond the oversimplification of themes such as unrequited love in country-western music, highlighting the profound insights Renaissance poets sought to convey through their explorations of love and human experiences.