Form Follows Finesse

Sonnet 73 is constructed as three quatrains, each with an alternating ABAB rhyming scheme. The poem ends with a rhyming heroic couplet. This results in an overall rhyming scheme of ABAB CDCD EFEF GG. Each of the three quatrains describes a shorter period of time, with the final quatrain using fire as a metador for impending death.

In me thou see'st the glowing of such fire
That on the ashes of his youth doth lie
As the deathbed whereon it must expire,
Consumed with that which it was nourished by.

In other words:

You see the glowing remnants of a fire in me
That is resting on ashes, while being consumed by them
I will soon die, and so must my fire extinguish
The fire will be destroyed by what originally fed it

In this last quatrain the speaker is admitting that death is around the corner, and uses fire as a metafor for the remaining fragility of his life. In lines two and four of this quatrain he references the fact that ashes, or what nourished his life, are now the cause of his downfall. Ashes most likely refers to youth, and how in a cylical nature, youth consumes the life of the old. By presenting the final couplet almost as final words they are given much more power, and this helps to heed the message of carpe diem.

The form of this poem contributes greatly to its value. Each of the three quatrains increase in intensity from season to day to fire, and thus serve to originally set the stage for death, and then indicate its urgency. Also, because each quatrain contains an ABAB rhyming scheme, it helps to format the poem into four distinct sections. The formatting on the final heroic couplet is indented which separates it and presents it as a conclusion.

Poetic form, in contrast to prose, allows several literary techniques which enhance the value of the poem, and add to its meaning. As I said, the rhyming scheme helps to give the poem a clear formatting, and present it as a more packaged and complete point with clear flow. The poetic form also invokes a lot of imagery, which contributes to the power of the poem. The structure of iambic pentameter adds to the poem by adding a sing songy nature, and in a way romanticizes the work. If Sonnet 73 was written as prose it would still make the same point, but lack the grace, the beauty, the imagery, and thus not deliver the final couplet with the emphasis and conviction that the form contributes.