In the poem "Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer's Day" by Shakespeare, has the poet’s bold assertion in his couplet proved true?In what ways can...

It has absolutely been proved true because you and I are
here, in 2011, thinking about the beloved he refers to in the poem, and about the last
lines of the poem.  Yes indeed, the person who the speaker claims was more lovely than a
summer's day did, in fact, die, but he or she is not completely dead because here we are
recalling him or her.  Death can't "brag that thou wander'st in his shade" because that
would imply that no one recalls the person.  The speaker was right to claim "so long
lives this [this poem], and this [poem] give life to thee" because these are "eternal
lines."

All art has the potential to do this.  A portrait
of long dead person captures the essense of that person, and as long as that painting
can be seen by later generations, then a piece of that person is alive -- at least their
existence is proven in a way.  One of the most talked about paintings of all time is
The Mona Lisa.  People are still pondering this mysterious women
hundreds of years after she was captured on canvas with paint.  What is she smiling
about?  Is she smiling? 

When art of any kind captures some
aspect of a person's life, and that art is experienced, then the person is given a kind
of life again.  It is a pretty powerful thought!