Question

when lofty trees i see barren of leaves
which erst from heat did canopy the herd,
and summers green all girded up in sheaves
borne on the bier with white and bristly beard,
then of thy beauty do i question make,
that thou among the wastes of time must go,
since sweets and beauties do themselves forsake
and die as fast as they see others grow;
and nothing gainst times scythe can make defence
save breed, to brave him when he takes thee hence.

how does the change from the rhyming pattern in the quatrains to the rhyming couplet in \sonnet xii\ affect the poem?

○ it makes readers want to see if any other lines rhyme with the couplet.
○ it makes readers focus on the conclusion and the authors message.
○ it causes reader to change their speaking tone when reading aloud.
○ it informs readers that the last two rhyming words are the most important.

Explanation:

In Shakespearean sonnets, the three quatrains build a theme or observation (here, the inevitability of time's decay), and the final rhyming couplet serves as a concise, impactful resolution that delivers the core message. The shift in rhyme scheme draws the reader's attention to this concluding, definitive statement about overcoming time through procreation.

Answer:

It makes readers focus on the conclusion and the author's message.