Not Marble, nor the Gilded Monuments

In the poem ‘Not Marble, nor the Gilded Monuments’, Shakespeare tries to convey the message that nothing in this world can outlive his poetic verses, be it marble or the monuments that are covered with gold. The monuments wear away with the passage of time but his poetry written for his friend will live longer than the stone monument which has been left uncared for.

The sonnet, ‘Not Marble, nor the Gilded Monuments’ brings out the futility of statues and ornate monuments raised by the rich and the powerful to immortalize themselves. The ravages of time on these monuments defeat the very purpose of building them and rob their architects of the pleasure of being remembered by the generations to come. The poem also brings out the poet’s faith in his verse and its ability to outlive the transient monuments.

Meanings of words and phrases

• gilded : golden, gold plated
• outlive : live or last longer than
• unswept : not cleaned
• besmeared : smear or cover
• sluttish: disloyal
• wasteful : unnecessary, extravagant
• broils : fights
• masonry : stone or brick work
• oblivious : unconscious
• pace : walk at a steady speed
• forth: forward
• posterity: future generations of people
• doom : death, destruction, or some other terrible fate
• Judgement : the day when the world would come to its end
• dwell: live

Rhyming Words:

• Stanza 1 – monuments – contents, rhyme – time
• Stanza 2 – overturn – burn, masonry – memory
• Stanza 3: enmity – posterity, room – doom
• Stanza 4: arise – eyes

Rhyme Scheme:

abab – abab – abab – aa