When readers encounter Shakespeare's "Sonnet 73," they often fail to realize that it is an excellent model of what a good composition ought to be. The closing couplet functions the same way a thesis would in a prose work. The repetition of wording within the analogies in the three quatrains helps to make the work coherent. In addition, the diminishing time frame adds to the coherence because it would be impossible to reposition the quatrains without destroying coherence. The quatrains gain their unity by virtue of being so clearly connected to the same theme--the imminence of death as it relates to the endstage of all four cycles: the dying year, the dying day, the dying fire, the dying human. The poet achieves emphasis by repeating the same theme with varied images and varied analogies focused on the lover's complaint. It can be seen that "Sonnet 73" contains the bare essentials of good composition: coherence, unity, and emphasis. It teaches a respect for organization, a respect for flow, and a respect for focus. More than anything else, "Sonnet 73" reveals that the art of writing is essentially the art of thinking. (CR)