Sonnet 55

Sonnet 55 starts off similarly to sonnet 18. Shakespeare notes that not even marble or gilded monuments will outlive his sonnet, and therefore his subject, the young man Mister W.H. He says that Mister W.H will outlive said monuments which have been begrimed by time. Shakespeare references Greek mythology in the seventh line of the sonnet, which he usually never does. He writes “Nor Mars his sword nor war’s quick fire shall burn”, meaning not even godly power can destroy the memory of the young man. In the tenth line, there is a play on words, Shakespeare being the wordsmith that he was. “Pace forth” could mean one of two things. At first glance, it seems to mean to keep walking onwards. When looking deeper into the meaning of the sonnet, it can be symbolic of the theme of the poem. Shakespeare is saying how the young man will live on longer than marble and gold through his poem, and “pacing forth” is another way of implying that the young man will have a sense of immortality through his writing.