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Sonnet 60 by William Shakespeare

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Sonnet 60 reflects Shakespeare's thoughts on the relentless nature of time and its power to erode everything — youth, beauty, and even life itself — much like ocean waves crashing against the shore.

Poet
William Shakespeare
Core theme
Art
The PoemFull text

Sonnet 60

William Shakespeare

Like as the waves make towards the pebbled shore, So do our minutes hasten to their end; Each changing place with that which goes before, In sequent toil all forwards do contend. Nativity, once in the main of light, Crawls to maturity, wherewith being crown’d, Crooked eclipses ’gainst his glory fight, And Time that gave doth now his gift confound. Time doth transfix the flourish set on youth And delves the parallels in beauty’s brow, Feeds on the rarities of nature’s truth, And nothing stands but for his scythe to mow: And yet to times in hope, my verse shall stand. Praising thy worth, despite his cruel hand.

Public domain

Sourced from Project Gutenberg

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§01Quick summary

What this poem is about

Sonnet 60 reflects Shakespeare's thoughts on the relentless nature of time and its power to erode everything — youth, beauty, and even life itself — much like ocean waves crashing against the shore. The poem traces the journey of a human life from birth through maturity to decay, entirely at the mercy of time. Yet, in the final couplet, Shakespeare turns the tables: he asserts that his poem will endure beyond time's ravages, preserving the beloved's worth for all eternity.

§02Themes

Recurring themes

§03Line by line

Stanza by stanza, with notes

  1. Like as the waves make towards the pebbled shore, / So do our minutes hasten to their end;

    Editor's note

    Shakespeare begins with a striking simile: minutes are like ocean waves, each rolling in and crashing away into nothingness. The term "hasten" conveys a sense of urgency about time, suggesting it’s not just passing slowly but racing ahead. The phrase "pebbled shore" adds a tangible detail that brings the abstract concept of time into a more concrete and relatable realm.

  2. Each changing place with that which goes before, / In sequent toil all forwards do contend.

    Editor's note

    Each wave (each moment) pushes out the previous one in an endless, demanding sequence. "Sequent toil" is crucial — time isn't gliding, it's *working*, grinding ahead. There’s no pause, no mercy, just a constant flow. This establishes the poem's main point: nothing can remain static.

  3. Nativity, once in the main of light, / Crawls to maturity, wherewith being crown'd,

    Editor's note

    Now Shakespeare shifts focus from the vastness of cosmic time to an individual human life. Birth ("Nativity") starts in bright light — a magnificent, open space. The baby "crawls" (both literally and metaphorically) toward adulthood, and achieving maturity feels like a significant milestone. The tone here is celebratory, but it is short-lived.

  4. Crooked eclipses 'gainst his glory fight, / And Time that gave doth now his gift confound.

    Editor's note

    The triumph is fleeting. "Crooked eclipses" — misfortune, aging, illness — start to strike when a person is at their peak. The term "crooked" implies something twisted and malicious. Then comes the gut-punch: Time, which *granted* the gift of life and youth, now flips the script and takes it away. The giver becomes the thief.

  5. Time doth transfix the flourish set on youth / And delves the parallels in beauty's brow,

    Editor's note

    "Transfix" here means to pierce and pin down — Time stabs at youth's bloom and halts it abruptly. "Delves the parallels in beauty's brow" refers to how time etches wrinkles into a beautiful face. "Delves" (digs) and "parallels" (the lines of wrinkles) suggest that aging is a slow, careful excavation.

  6. Feeds on the rarities of nature's truth, / And nothing stands but for his scythe to mow:

    Editor's note

    Time has become a predator, *devouring* the finest and rarest treasures of nature. The scythe imagery — Time as the Grim Reaper reaping all — was a familiar symbol even in Shakespeare's time, but that colon at the end keeps the reader on edge. Everything is poised for destruction... and then the couplet comes in.

  7. And yet to times in hope, my verse shall stand. / Praising thy worth, despite his cruel hand.

    Editor's note

    The volta. After twelve lines of unyielding destruction, Shakespeare shifts gears with "And yet." He asserts that the poem will endure through the ages, continuing to celebrate the beloved's value even after time wreaks its havoc. It's a daring, defiant assertion — and the fact that we're still engaging with it about 430 years later indicates he was onto something.

§04Tone & mood

How this poem feels

The tone shifts through three distinct registers. The first quatrain feels observational and almost philosophical — calm, like watching waves from afar. The second and third quatrains take on a darker, more urgent tone as time emerges as a relentless, harmful force. Then the couplet concludes with quiet defiance: not rage, not despair, but a steady, confident response. The overall effect is of someone who has faced mortality head-on and concluded that creating something beautiful is the best way to respond.

§05Symbols & metaphors

Symbols & metaphors

Waves
The opening image of waves rolling toward the shore captures the relentless flow of time, with each wave taking the place of the last, just as every moment pushes the previous one aside. There’s no turning back and no break in this continuous cycle.
The scythe
Time's scythe is the iconic representation of the Grim Reaper, illustrating that nothing, no matter how rare or beautiful, can escape being severed. This imagery makes time seem not only powerful but also aggressively destructive.
Crooked eclipses
Eclipses block out light, symbolizing the misfortunes, illnesses, and declines that can strike when someone is at their peak. The word "crooked" suggests a moral corruption—these forces seem unjust, even malevolent.
The parallels in beauty's brow
Wrinkles on a beautiful face, shaped by time like furrows in the ground. This image suggests that aging is a slow, intentional process that gradually alters something that was once flawless.
Nativity in the main of light
Birth into "the main of light" — the open sea of brightness — symbolizes the boundless possibilities of a new life. The enormity of this imagery makes the later constriction and decline seem even more heartbreaking.
The verse itself
In the couplet, the poem transforms into a symbol of its own: a creation by humans that can endure beyond biological life and resist the ravages of time. Shakespeare's belief in his art stands as the poem's last, bold statement.

§06Form & structure

Form & structure

Meter
iambic pentameter
Rhyme
ABAB CDCD EFEF GG

§07Historical context

Historical context

Shakespeare wrote his 154 sonnets primarily during the 1590s, but they didn't see publication until 1609. Sonnet 60 is part of the sequence dedicated to the "Fair Youth" — an unnamed young man whom the poet fervently praises and frets about. The choice of the number 60 seems intentional: with 60 seconds in a minute and 60 minutes in an hour, the poem's number cleverly nods to the passage of time. The notion that poetry can grant immortality to a person was a common theme during the Renaissance — even Ovid's *Metamorphoses* concludes with this claim — but Shakespeare makes it feel genuinely earned. He spends twelve lines confronting the harsh realities of time before triumphantly sealing it in the last two lines.

§08FAQ

Questions readers ask

What is Sonnet 60 mainly about?

It's about time tearing down everything — youth, beauty, and life — and Shakespeare's assertion that his poetry endures even as everything else crumbles. The first twelve lines argue for time's strength, while the last two lines challenge that idea.

What does the wave simile mean at the start?

Shakespeare likens minutes to ocean waves crashing onto the shore—each wave nudging the previous one aside, all flowing in a single direction with no chance to halt or turn back. This comparison brings the abstract concept of time into a tangible and unavoidable reality.

Why is the number 60 significant for this sonnet?

There are 60 seconds in a minute and 60 minutes in an hour, so the poem's position in the sequence is likely a purposeful reference to its theme. Shakespeare is incorporating the poem's number into the joke — or the argument.

What is the volta in Sonnet 60 and where does it happen?

The volta is the shift in argument that occurs at the final couplet, beginning with "And yet." After twelve lines of winning every battle, those two words completely change the poem's course and grant the speaker — and the beloved — the final say.

What does 'crooked eclipses 'gainst his glory fight' mean?

Once someone reaches their peak ("his glory"), misfortunes and decline — referred to as "crooked eclipses" — begin to work against them. An eclipse obscures the sun, just as these crooked forces obscure a person's brightness. The term "crooked" implies that these forces are not only powerful but also unfair and twisted.

How does Shakespeare personify Time in this sonnet?

Time behaves like a relentless adversary in the poem. It "confounds" its own blessings, "transfixes" youth, "delves" wrinkles into faces, "feeds" on the most beautiful aspects of nature, and wields a scythe to cut everything down. By the third quatrain, Time essentially becomes a villain armed and ready.

Is Shakespeare's claim that his verse will last just arrogance?

It comes off as confidence rather than arrogance because he has earned it. Throughout the poem, he openly recognizes how destructive time can be—he doesn’t downplay it. This honesty makes the claim in the couplet hit harder, and the fact that we’re reading the poem four centuries later makes it tough to argue against him.

What poetic form is Sonnet 60 written in?

It's a Shakespearean sonnet: 14 lines written in iambic pentameter, following the rhyme scheme ABAB CDCD EFEF GG. That concluding GG couplet is designed to deliver a powerful twist, and Shakespeare takes advantage of this structure to completely overturn the poem's argument.

Citation

Cite this poem

MLA

Shakespeare, William. "Sonnet 60." Storgy, https://storgy.com/poems/sonnet-60-william-shakespeare/.

APA

Shakespeare, W. (n.d.). Sonnet 60. Storgy. https://storgy.com/poems/sonnet-60-william-shakespeare/

TeacherAP Lit Q1 scaffold — preview

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In 'Sonnet 60,' Shakespeare constructs Time as a predatory agent whose appetite for human beauty paradoxically elevates the poem into the only viable act of resistance — making the volta's promise of verse's survival a harder-won, more …

  • Row B — Evidence + Commentary4 pts
  • Row C — Sophistication1 pt
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