Final answer:
William Shakespeare's Sonnets 71 and 73 predominantly utilize the literary element of metaphor to create vivid imagery and engage the reader's senses and emotions. Both sonnets contain rich comparisons without the explicit use of 'like' or 'as', a characteristic of metaphors.
Step-by-step explanation:
William Shakespeare's Sonnets 71 and 73 both make extensive use of a particular literary element to create vivid pictures for the reader. Looking closely at these sonnets, we can see that they primarily employ the literary device of metaphor to bring their themes to life. A metaphor is a figure of speech in which a comparison is made between two unlike things that actually have something in common.
For example, in Sonnet 71, Shakespeare writes, 'No longer mourn for me when I am dead,' which indirectly compares death to a state of mourning without explicitly using the words 'like' or 'as'. Sonnet 73 uses metaphors such as 'That time of year thou mayst in me behold,' where the passing of a year is compared to the aging process.
These metaphors create powerful images and ideas in the reader's mind, which is why imagery is such a crucial aspect of Shakespeare’s sonnets. These images engage the reader's senses and emotions, and the metaphors help to develop a deeper understanding of the poems’ themes.