In his Sonnet 19, Shakespeare presents the timeless theme of Time's mutability. As the lover apostrophizes Time, one might expect him to address "old Time" as inconstant, for such an epithet implies time's changeability. But inconstant also suggests capricious, and the lover finds time more grave than whimsical in its alterations. With the epithet "devouring" he addresses a greedy, ravenous hunger, a Time that is wastefully destructive. Conceding to Time its wrongs, the lover at first appears to encourage Time to satisfy its insatiable appeti ....