True Love: A Reflection on Shakespeare's Sonnet 116
What does the phrase "gold to airy thickness beat" from Shakespeare's sonnet 116 symbolize?
a) The fleeting nature of love
b) The endurance and constancy of true love
c) The fragility of relationships
The correct answer is:b) The endurance and constancy of true love
Shakespeare's sonnet 116 is a powerful reflection on the nature of true love. In this sonnet, the phrase "gold to airy thickness beat" is used to symbolize the endurance and constancy of true love. The metaphor compares true love to the durability and malleability of gold, which can be beaten into thin sheets without breaking.
Just like gold remains intact despite being beaten into thin sheets, true love continues to endure and withstand the challenges and changes it faces. This symbolizes the strength and longevity of the bonds of love, which become almost ever-present, pervasive, and unbreakable.
True love, as depicted in Shakespeare's sonnet 116, is not easily swayed or broken; it perseveres through thick and thin, much like the thin sheets of gold that retain their form even when beaten into airy thickness.