A Brief Analysis of the Sonnet 12 by Shakespeare in terms of Metaphor

【Abstract】In the Sonnet 12 by Shakespeare， metaphors are used many times， but the source domains of those metaphors are not very clear so that readers have to make an analysis about it. The one in source domain often share some characteristics with the one in target domain and that is why readers can find source domain from the analysis of target domain.

【Key words】metaphor； the Sonnet 12 by Shakespeare； characteristic； source domain； target domain

【作者簡介】趙方秋（1990-），女，陜西西安人，漢族，畢業于西安外國語大學研究生院2013級外國語言學及應用語言學專業，研究方向：翻譯及翻譯研究。

When I do count the clock that tells the time， And see the brave day sunk in hideous night； When I behold the violet past prime， And sable curls are silver‘d oer with white；

When lofty trees I see barren of leaves， Which erst from heat did canopy the herd， And summers green， all girded up in sheaves， Borne on the bier with white and bristly beard； Then thou among the wastes of time must go， Since sweets and beauties do themselves forsake，And die as fast as they see other grow， And nothing‘gainst Times scythe can make defence， Save breed， to brave him when he takes thee hence.

當我數著鐘表指出的時刻，看到晴朗的白晝沒入可憎的夜；當我注視著紫羅蘭失去了麗色，青春鬈發都變作銀絲白雪。當我看到參天大樹葉盡脫，不久前它還曾蔭庇過牛羊群伙，夏季碧綠的禾苗都打捆成摞，戴著堅挺的白須被裝上運糧車于是我思慮到你的俊美資質，最終也得走進時間的荒漠。因為芳香和艷麗總把自己浪擲，眼看著別人發育，自己卻要凋落。誰人能把時間的鐮刀提防，除非生兒育女在你死后與它爭抗。

1.the brave day sunk in hideous night

this sentence doesnt use simile to describe the authors view so we have to make an analysis about the information we got from it first. I put these information into two parts.

Part 1 ：

Day is brave.

Day is a bright ， beautiful thing.

Night is hideous.

Night is a frightful thing.

Part 2：

The brave day is one heavy thing that can sink into water.

The hideous night is sea.

Then， I made an analysis in terms of metaphor for this sentence.

Part 1 ：

Target domain day

Source domain a bright， beautiful thing

Target domain night

Source domain a frightful thing

Day is lively， bright and hopeful for people； night is horrible， mystery， even devil.

Part 2：

Target domain the brave day

Source domain one thing that can sink into water

Target domain hideous night

Source domain sea

Day comes dark slowly and light disappears gradually.

One thing sinks into water slowly and is swallowed by water gradually.

2. And sable curls are silver‘d oer with white

Hair turns white by itself， but author uses passive voice here. I think he means that it is time that has silvered sable curls with white and there is a use of personification， that is， time is a person who can silvers ones hair.

Target domain time

Source domain a person who can silvers ones hair

3. When lofty trees I see barren of leaves，Which erst from heat did canopy the herd

Here is a use of personification again. Trees is viewed as a people who uses something ， maybe is trees canopy， to canopies the herd.

Target domain trees

Source domain a person who uses something to canopies the herd

4. And summers green， all girded up in sheaves

Target domain growing crop

Source domain summers green

Growing crop is green in summer， so the author uses summers green to represent those growing crop.

5. Since sweets and beauties do themselves forsake，

And die as fast as they see other grow

Target domain sweets and beauties

Source domain beautiful women

Personification again. Sweets and beauties refer to women. It is those beautiful women， instead of those abstract things， who grow old and lose their beauty and sweet.

Target domain forsake， die

Source domain get old

Target domain grow

Source domain get beautiful

6. And nothing ‘gainst Times scythe can make defence，

Save breed， to brave him when he takes thee hence

There are two underlying metaphors included in this sentence， that is， experience is scythe； time is a people who can use scythe.

For the first metaphor， experience can make people throw something and become more mature， while scythe can cut things and it specifies the characters of an abstract thing， that is ， experience.

Target domain experience

Source domain scythe

For the second metaphor， here goes personification again. Time is viewed as a people who takes scythe to attract others so that people have to prepare to defend him.

Target domain time

Source domain a people who can use scythe

We can see that in this poem， metaphors are used many times， but the source domains of those metaphors are not very clear so that we have to make an analysis about it. The one in source domain often share some characteristics with the one in target domain and that is why we can find source domain from the analysis of target domain.

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