shall i compare thee to a summer's day

The phrase "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?" is the opening line of Sonnet 18, which is one of William Shakespeare's most famous sonnets. In this line, the speaker is contemplating whether they should compare the person they are addressing to a pleasant, beautiful summer's day. The phrase serves as a rhetorical question, expressing the speaker's admiration and desire to equate the person's beauty and qualities to the perfection and loveliness of a summer day. This line sets the tone for the rest of the sonnet, where the speaker proceeds to highlight the reasons why the person's beauty surpasses that of a summer day's transience and imperfection.