1. "Not marble, nor the gilded monuments“ (Sonnet 55 ) by William Shakespeare
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2. 23 April 1616 (aged 52) Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England
Born
Baptised 26 April 1564 (birth date unknown) Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire,England
Died
23 April 1616 (aged 52) Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England
Occupation
Playwright, poet, actor
Nationality
English
Period
English Renaissance
Spouse(s)
Anne Hathaway (m. 1582–1616)
Children
Susanna Hall
Hamnet Shakespeare
Judith Quiney
Relative(s)
John Shakespeare (father)
Mary Shakespeare (mother)
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3. About William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. His extant works consist of about 38 plays, 154 sonnets, two long narrative poems, and a few other verses. His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright. Shakespeare produced most of his known work between 1589 and 1613. His early plays were mainly comedies and histories. He then wrote mainly tragedies until about 1608, including Hamlet, King Lear, Othello, and Macbeth, considered some of the finest works in the English language. In his last phase, he wrote tragicomedies, also known as romances, and collaborated with other playwrights.
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4. Sonnet
A sonnet is a poetic form which originated in Italy; the Sicilian poet Giacomo da Lentini is credited with its invention. The term sonnet derives from the Italian word sonetto, meaning "little song", and by the thirteenth century it signified a poem of fourteen lines that follows a strict rhyme scheme and specific structure. Conventions associated with the sonnet have evolved over its history. One of the best-known sonnet writers is William Shakespeare. A Shakespearean, or English, sonnet consists of fourteen lines structured as three quatrains and a couplet. The rhyme scheme in a Shakespearean sonnet is a-b-a-b, c-d-c-d, e-f-e-f, g-g; the last two lines are a rhyming couplet.

5. Introduction to Shakespeare's Sonnets
Shakespeare wrote 154 sonnets, likely composed over an extended period from 1592 to The majority of the sonnets (1-126) are addressed to a young man, with whom the poet has an intense romantic relationship. The final sonnets ( ) are addressed to a promiscuous and scheming woman known to modern readers as the dark lady.

6. "Not marble nor the gilded monuments“ Quatrain 1
Not marble, nor the gilded monuments Of princes, shall outlive this powerful rhyme; But you shall shine more bright in these contents Than unswept stone, besmear'd with sluttish time.

7. Not marble nor the gilded monuments“ Quatrain 2
When wasteful war shall statues overturn, And broils root out the work of masonry, Nor Mars his sword nor war's quick fire shall burn The living record of your memory.

8. Not marble nor the gilded monuments“ Quatrain 3 and couplet
'Gainst death and all oblivious enmity Shall you pace forth; your praise shall still find room, Even in the eyes of all posterity That wear this world out to the ending doom. So, till the judgment that yourself arise, You live in this, and dwell in lovers' eyes.

9. Introduction to Shakespeare's Sonnets
Shakespeare wrote 154 sonnets, likely composed over an extended period from 1592 to The majority of the sonnets (1-126) are addressed to a young man, with whom the poet has an intense romantic relationship. The final sonnets ( ) are addressed to a promiscuous and scheming woman known to modern readers as the dark lady. It is not known whether the poems and their characters are fiction or autobiographical.

10. Summary Quatrain 1
William Shakespeare's "Sonnets 55" serves as a living record for the narrator's beloved, the young man. The two major themes in this poem are the passage of time and immortalization through the written word. The narrator begins the sonnet by saying that neither marble nor gilded monuments of princes will outlive this powerful rhyme. This is a bold statement for the narrator to make; he asserts that his writing is more valuable than even the most expensive royal artifacts. The phrase "powerful rhyme" also calls to mind the adage "the pen is mightier than the sword," .

11. Summary Quatrain 1
The narrator then goes on to compare two things that really aren't comparable: the young man will shine more bright in these verses than an un-swept stone that is besmeared with sluttish (slovenly) time or put in another way the young man will shine more brightly in these verses than in a stone tomb or effigy that time wears away and covers with dust. The young man is described as bright and the tomb is described as dark and dusty; so there is really no contest, the young man is automatically deemed more attractive.

12. Summary Quatrain 2
The young man's life and beauty will never be forgotten. "Wasteful" (ruin/ pointless) wars will ruin beloved statues, and "broils" (battles) will lay waste to the mason's work, but the young man's memory will prevail. Mars is the Roman god of war, in the Roman tradition it was said that people died happily on his battlefield. Neither Mars, one of the greatest warriors of all time, nor fire will be able to erase these verses.

13. Summary Quatrain 3 and couplet
The young man will continue forth against death and all "oblivious" (the condition of being forgotten) "enmity" (ill-will). His beauty will continue to be praised by future generations until the Judgment Day. In Christianity, Judgment Day follows the resurrection of the dead and the second coming of Christ, and it is when God judges all humans and decides if they are worthy to enter into heaven. In the final couplet, the narrator declares that his beloved will enter into heaven upon Judgment Day, but until that day comes he will forever be alive in these verses and be loved by all who read them. Who was "Mr. W. H."?

14. Vocabulary broils = tumult, fighting, disturbances, esp. in war
gilded monuments - Memorials in churches would often be decorated with gold leaf.
unswept stone - a stone monument left uncared for
sluttish = of unclean habits and behavior; lewd and whorish
wasteful war - war devastates city and country
'Gainst = against
Mars =the God of war

15. Vocabulary
living record = the memory of you which continues after your death
Shall you pace forth = you shall stride forwards. The image is perhaps that of leading a procession, or of striding on to a stage. 
find room = be given time and space
Even in the eyes of = in the very presence or sight, in the opinion of.  all posterity = all future generations.
the ending doom = the last judgement. When the world comes to an end, according to Christian mythology, the fate (doom) of all humans who have ever lived is finally decided

16. Few instances of the various literary devices used in the poem are:
Alliteration: Nor Mars, nor war’s, nor marble, nor gilded
Hyperbole: shall outlive this powerful rhyme
Personification: Your praise shall still find room