Final answer:
In Sonnet 116, the speaker characterizes love as steadfast, unchanging, and a guiding star unaffected by life's tempests; however, the student's query is mistakenly based on Sonnet 18's text.
Step-by-step explanation:
The comparisons made about love in Shakespeare's Sonnet 116 characterize love as steadfast and unchanging. The speaker asserts that true love is an unwavering "ever-fixed mark" that looks on tempests and is never shaken; it is a guiding star to wandering barks (ships) and is not susceptible to the ravages of time. The speaker also compares love to a guiding star that is not affected by the storms (tempests) that may occur, thereby suggesting that love is constant and reliable. However, the Sonnet referenced in the student's question, "Sonnet 116," is not present in the given text excerpts. Instead, an excerpt from Sonnet 18 is provided, which is not the basis for discussing the characterizations of love in Sonnet 116. The comparison in Sonnet 18, however, likens a beloved to a summer's day, pointing out that the beloved is superior in beauty and more enduring.