Explication of Sonnet 73

Explication of Sonnet 73 The central theme of Shakespeare’s Sonnet 73 is that of agape. The friendship sonnets trace true friendships based on agape. In Sonnet 73, the poet is preparing his friend for the death of his youth and passion, metaphorically speaking. In the first quatrain, the poet compares himself to autumn. These references establish what the poet thinks the young man sees as the young man looks at him. Like the changing colors and the …

…poet is about to die, yet is still standing faithfully by his side. This makes the poet love the young man more deeply and not want to take him for granted. “To love that well which thou must ere long” means that the young man is now fully aware of the poet’s soon coming death, and thus, the young man’s love for the poet gets stronger because he knows will soon lose him.