William Shakespeare's Sonnet 116 is one of his best-known literary works. This sonnet aims to define love by communicating what it is and what it is not. Shakespeare makes his point clear from the beginning of the poem: true love does not change even if there are circumstances that work against it. Shakespeare then defines what love is by saying what it is not. Love is something that does not change even when faced with storms. It is not something that comes and goes, but rather "is not a fool of time", meaning that it is not subject to the passage of time. Shakespeare also compares love to a star, which sets the tone for the entire poem. The fact that he compares it to a star that guides every wandering human being. The star represents a mysterious and almost incomprehensible force that guides us even if we cannot precisely pinpoint its location. Shakespeare uses imagery throughout the poem in a unique way that defines love by what it is not. By comparing love to an immutable force like time and mortality, and also by asserting a personal claim in his statements, Shakespeare effectively communicates his views on love. To begin the poem, Shakespeare immediately makes an allusion to marriage. It not only mentions marriage but also alludes to the marriage ceremony. In order to understand specifically what aspect of the marriage ceremony Shakespeare is referring to, the word "impediments" must be defined in terms of a modern marriage ceremony. The definition of obstacles is “an obstacle or obstruction to the accomplishment of something.” When it comes to a marriage ceremony in Shakespeare's time, this would refer to when the priest asked both parties involved whether or not...... middle of paper ...... his love , which helps the reader understand the points Shakespeare is trying to communicate. It is evident that Shakespeare believes that love is a force that is unaffected by the normal aspects of life. I think the most significant comparison in this sonnet that Shakespeare makes is the idea that love is timeless. In a time when death would have been such a powerful force for society to face, the fact that Shakespeare was able to give hope to those faced with it would have been encouraging. During the Black Death, many people lost loved ones and knowing that the force of death did not affect their love for them would have helped them persevere. Also by staking a claim and providing logic to support his opinions, Shakespeare was able to effectively communicate his thoughts on love in one of his most famous sonnets..