Sonnet 18- William Shakespeare's- Extracts for Explanation

 Sometimes too hot the eye of heaven shines, and often is his gold complexion dimmed; and every fair from fair sometime declines, by chance or nature's changing course untrimmed

Reference to the Context: These lines are from William Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18, also known by its first line: “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? In this sonnet, the poet is praising the beauty of a young person (often believed to be a beloved friend or muse). He begins by asking if he should compare this person’s beauty to a summer’s day. Then, in the following lines, he explains why summer is not a perfect comparison — because summer can change and fade, while the beauty of the person he’s talking about is more lasting and constant.

Explanation: In these lines from Sonnet 18, Shakespeare explains that summer is not always perfect—it can be too hot, or the sun can be hidden behind clouds. Just like summer, all beautiful things in nature eventually lose their charm. This happens either by chance or through the natural process of time. He says this to show that the person he’s talking about is even better than a summer’s day because their beauty will not fade like the beauty of nature does.