When was how soon hath time written

Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on LitCharts. The original text plus a side-by-side modern translation of every Shakespeare play. Sign Up. Already have an account? Sign in. From the creators of SparkNotes, something better. Literature Poetry Lit Terms Shakescleare. Download this LitChart! Question about this poem? Ask us. Cite This Page. Milton's sonnet explores the idea of time as a guide to his destiny. Milton calls time "the subtle thief of youth" because time steals without awareness.

This sonnet is written sometime after Milton's twenty - third birthday , and already the poet is thinking about the approach of his twenty -fourth birthday. The poem upholds the Protestant idea that worldly labor is necessary for the benefit of the individual soul and not for the realization of God's kingdom on earth.

The speaker believes he has nothing more to fear from God except "chiding," because he has already been cast into "darkness. In February of , the English poet John Milton went completely blind.

Many great artists have suffered blindness, but the twist in Milton's case is that he went blind before he wrote his best works, including the immortal epic poem Paradise Lost. Awaiting divine intervention is evident in his first lines of How Soon Hath Time where he laments, ' How soon hath Time , the subtle thief of youth', as well as in another sonnet released after his subsequent blindness, 'When I consider how my light is spent '.

Shakespeare begins by contemplating all living things which grow and are perfect for only a brief time, before they start decaying or ageing.

These people are the ones who serve God best. The image of the yoke is also Biblical; a yoke was a kind of harness put on oxen but in Matthew it is an image for God's will. When Milton says that talent is " death to hide ," he is referring to the money in the Biblical story and also to his own "talent," in the sense of a skill or trade. This "talent" is "lodged" or buried within the speaker just like the money in the story.

Bear his mild yoke , they serve him best. In these lines, Milton expresses his unfailing belief in God's righteousness. God is not dependent on man, but man is reliant on Him. He also feels annoyed by the fact that despite completing twenty-three years of his life,. Milton has this very fact in his mind when he feels that his appearance does not show any signs of maturity though he has reached very near to manhood. Milton is confident that he will definitely attain greatness, as he feels that it is the will of the God and he will certainly become a great poet sooner or later.

In the last line, reference to a parable from the Bible Matthew: 20, is apparent, according to which, some labourers come to labour in the field. Some of them come early, and some come late, but they all are paid the same wages. John Milton is confident that despite the fact that he has spent twenty three years of his life without making any significant growth in his career, he will certainly attain greatness as per the will of the God, for according to the Parable mentioned above, those who start working late are also paid the same wages the early-starters get.