Shakespeare's sonnet "When forty winters shall besiege thy brow" discusses the need of having children in order to preserve one's beauty and legacy. Speaking to the Fair Youth, the speaker warns him that his beauty would soon fade and his face will resemble a plowed field. After that, he won't be abRead more
Shakespeare’s sonnet “When forty winters shall besiege thy brow” discusses the need of having children in order to preserve one’s beauty and legacy. Speaking to the Fair Youth, the speaker warns him that his beauty would soon fade and his face will resemble a plowed field. After that, he won’t be able to preserve his reputation because of humiliation. The only solution to this is for the young man to have a kid that he may endow with his attractiveness. He’ll then have a justification for his wrinkles. In addition, he will appear to have been born again.
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The poem explores the notion that beauty is transient and vulnerable to the effects of time. The speaker encourages a young man to think about the repercussions of not getting married and not passing on his attractiveness to future generations. As the speaker emphasizes the short-term nature of youtRead more
The poem explores the notion that beauty is transient and vulnerable to the effects of time. The speaker encourages a young man to think about the repercussions of not getting married and not passing on his attractiveness to future generations. As the speaker emphasizes the short-term nature of youth and the inevitable passage of time, the concept of time is also important. In the end, the sonnet emphasizes how important reproduction is for surviving mortality and ensuring the survival of one’s line. The longing for a lasting legacy and the beauty and fragility of human existence are both reflected in it.
Sonnet 2 Summary
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