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Shakespearean Sonnets

SONNET 1 

Symbolising a fair youth, a beautiful girl, the main theme of this sonnet is the preservation of beauty and legacy through procreation (act of doing sexual intercourse), warning against self-absorption and waste.

This excerpt is from Shakespeare's Sonnet 1. Here is a line-by-line explanation:

Line 1: "From fairest creatures we desire increase"

- Shakespeare begins by stating that from the most beautiful creature (my girl) to whom we desire to reproduce. The word "increase" here refers to offspring, implying that the beauty should not fade but be passed on to the next generation.

Line 2: "That thereby beauty’s rose might never die"

- This line suggests that by having children, the beauty of this "fairest creatures" can be preserved. "Beauty’s rose" is a metaphor for their beauty, and reproduction, ensures it does not perish.

Line 3: "But as the riper should by time decease"

- Shakespeare acknowledges that with time, even the most beautiful beings will age and eventually die. "Riper" refers to someone who has matured or aged, and "decease" means to pass away.

Line 4: "His tender heir might bear his memory"

- However, the beauty and memory of the person can live on through their "tender heir" (child). The child will carry on their memory, thus preserving their legacy even after they are gone.

Overall: These lines reflect the theme of passing on beauty and memory through offspring to counteract the inevitable decay caused by time.

Line 5: "But thou, contracted to thine own bright eyes"

- Shakespeare shifts from discussing general beauty to addressing a specific person. He accuses this individual of being self-absorbed, "contracted" (engaged or bound) to their own beauty, as seen in their "bright eyes." It implies they are too focused on admiring their own appearance.

Line 6: "Feed’st thy light’s flame with self-substantial fuel"
- The person is nurturing their beauty ("light’s flame") with selfishness. Rather than sharing their beauty through reproduction, they are using it for themselves. "Self-substantial fuel" means they are sustaining themselves on their own beauty, rather than allowing it to be passed on.

Line 7: "Making a famine where abundance lies"

- By keeping their beauty to themselves, they are creating a "famine" (lack) where there should be "abundance" (plenty of beauty to share, through children). This metaphor suggests they are wasting their potential by hoarding it.

Line 8: "Thyself thy foe, to thy sweet self too cruel."

- Shakespeare declares that by refusing to share their beauty, they are their own worst enemy. They are being cruel to themselves because they deny the possibility of extending their legacy through offspring. They are too harsh in keeping their beauty isolated.

Overall: In essence, these lines criticize the person for selfishness, accusing them of hoarding their beauty and creating their own downfall by not passing it on to future generations.

Line 9: "Thou that art now the world’s fresh ornament"

- Shakespeare addresses the person as someone who is currently the "ornament" or decoration of the world. This means they are young, beautiful, and admired, like something precious that enhances the beauty of the world.

Line 10: "And only herald to the gaudy spring"

- The individual is compared to a "herald" (a messenger or sign) of "gaudy spring," symbolizing youth, vitality, and beauty. Their presence announces the arrival of something grand and vibrant, like springtime, full of life and color.

Line 11: "Within thine own bud buriest thy content"

- However, Shakespeare criticizes the person for "burying" their potential ("content") within their own "bud." This metaphor suggests that they are refusing to blossom or share their beauty and goodness, keeping it locked inside themselves, like a flower that never opens.

Line 12: "And, tender churl, mak’st waste in niggarding."

- Shakespeare calls the person a "tender churl," which combines the softness of youth ("tender") with the rudeness or selfishness of a "churl" (a miserly or ungenerous person). By being miserly ("niggarding") with their beauty, they are wasting it. This suggests that the individual is hoarding their gifts rather than allowing them to flourish and benefit others, especially by passing on their beauty to future generations.

Overall: Shakespeare is accusing this person of selfishly hoarding their beauty, not allowing it to bloom fully by sharing it with the world through reproduction. Their refusal to do so leads to waste, like a flower that withers without ever blooming.

Line 13: "Pity the world, or else this glutton be"

- Shakespeare urges the individual to have compassion for the world by sharing their beauty and potential, rather than being selfish ("glutton"). The "glutton" metaphor suggests that if they continue to withhold their beauty, they are greedily consuming it for themselves.

Line 14: "To eat the world’s due, by the grave and thee."

- If they do not "pity the world," they will selfishly take what belongs to the world (their beauty and legacy) to the grave with them. "The world's due" refers to the beauty and life they should have passed on, which will be lost forever if they die without leaving an heir.

In essence, these lines warn the person that if they don't share their beauty with the world by having children, they will waste it entirely, letting both the grave and their own selfishness consume it.

SONNET 2 

The main theme of this sonnet is the preservation of beauty and legacy through procreation, offering renewal and immortality in the face of aging.

Line 1: "When forty winters shall besiege thy brow"

- After forty years, when the signs of aging—represented by "winters"—will have affected her face ("brow"). "Besiege" implies an attack, suggesting that time will relentlessly assault her youthful appearance.

Line 2: "And dig deep trenches in thy beauty’s field"

- Time will carve "deep trenches" (wrinkles) in the person’s face, which Shakespeare metaphorically refers to as a "beauty’s field" as her attractive sexuality. The imagery emphasizes how aging will diminish the smoothness and vibrancy of her youthful beauty.

Line 3: "Thy youth’s proud livery, so gazed on now"

- "Livery" refers to the clothing, her physical beautiful flesh which she has used to cover her own soul. Here, it stands for the person’s youthful beauty, which is admired by others ("so gazed on now"). It signifies the pride of her current youth.

Line 4: "Will be a tattered weed, of small worth held."

- Shakespeare warns that, in old age, this once-proud appearance will become like a "tattered weed"—something worn out and of little value. Their beauty, which is now cherished, will fade and be considered insignificant by the passing period of time.

Overall, these lines describe the inevitable aging process, where time will diminish the person’s youthful beauty, turning it into something that will no longer be admired or valued. It underscores the transience of physical beauty and the importance of preserving it through legacy.

Line 5: "Then being asked where all thy beauty lies—"

- When she will become aged, everyone would ask where her youthful beauty has gone. It sets up a reflection on the loss of beauty over time.

Line 6: "Where all the treasure of thy lusty days—"

- The "treasure of thy lusty days" refers to the vitality and physical stripped off beauty, she had in her youth ("lusty" meaning full of sexuality and desire to intercourse). The question posed is about what happened to the wealth (the fertility and desire of doing fornication) of that youthful energy and beauty.

Line 7: "To say within thine own deep-sunken eyes"

- Shakespeare anticipates that the girl might say that her beauty is now locked in her "deep-sunken eyes," symbolizing the hollowness that comes with old age. Their beauty has faded, and the only remnants are the eyes, which now reflect age and sorrow rather than vibrancy.

Line 8: "Were an all-eating shame and thriftless praise."

- The idea of claiming that her beauty still resides in their sunken eyes would be a "shame" and a waste ("thriftless praise"). "All-eating shame" refers to the destructive regret of having let her beauty fade without passing it on. "Thriftless praise" suggests that any admiration of beauty that has not been used productively (i.e., through procreation) is meaningless.

Line 9: "How much more praise deserved thy beauty’s use"

- Shakespeare argues that the girl would have been far more worthy of praise if she had used the beauty wisely. In this context, "beauty’s use" means sharing her beauty with the world, particularly by having children to carry on their legacy through sexual act with the poet.

Overall, Shakespeare is warning that if the person doesn’t use their beauty wisely while young (by having children), they will be left in old age with nothing but regret. Instead, using beauty to create life is the path to true, lasting praise.

Line 10: "If thou couldst answer 'This fair child of mine'"

- Shakespeare imagines the girl is  responding to the question of where her beauty has gone by saying, "This fair child of mine." This would indicate that she has passed her beauty on to a child, ensuring that it lives on even as she age.

Line 11: "Shall sum my count and make my old excuse"

- The child would "sum my count," meaning she would represent a continuation or fulfillment of the parent’s beauty and legacy. The phrase "make my old excuse" implies that the child would justify or make up for her aging appearance, as her beauty would live on through her child.

Line 12: "Proving his beauty by succession thine."

- The child’s beauty would be proof that her beauty has been passed down through "succession," showing that it hasn’t been lost but preserved across generations. Her child is a reflection of her former beauty.

Line 13: "This were to be new made when thou art old"

- By having a child, she would be "new made" even in old age, as her legacy and sexuality would be renewed in the younger generation. It’s a way of defeating time and creating a form of immortality through her offspring.

Line 14: "And see thy blood warm when thou feel'st it cold."

- This metaphor suggests that even when she feels the effects of old age (when she feel "cold" as her vitality diminishes), she would still see her "blood warm" (youthful sexuality and beauty) in her daughter, who carries on her life and spirit. It highlights the contrast between aging and her renewal of life through procreation.

Overall, these lines emphasize the idea that by having children, a person can extend their beauty and legacy into the future, allowing their vitality to live on even as they grow old. This renewal through their descendants is presented as a form of victory over time and aging.

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