Explication of William Shakespeare's Sonnet 2

Sonnet 2 by William Shakespeare describes the aging process and the importance of procreating in order to leave one’s mark both physically and mentally. The narrator of the sonnet is someone who is in love with the addressee and is hoping to convince them that they should procreate. There is no evidence from the sonnet that the narrator is a male or female, but from reading and analyzing what the author is trying to say, it is a stronger argument to consider the narrator from a female perspective. The narrator- if considered a female- is trying to convince a male that he is getting older and time is not slowing down. There are several references of age and time in the sonnet made by the narrator including, “when forty winters shall besiege thy brow, and dig deep trenches in thy beauty’s field” (lines 1-2) and “Thy youth’s proud livery/ […] / will be a tattered weed” (ll. 2-3). These lines from the sonnet show that the narrator is pointing out evidence of the aging process that the addressee may not be aware of. The skin is beginning to wrinkle and the things that were once awed at are now beginning to shrivel up and die just as a weed would do. The addressee of this is an individual that the narrator is fond of and would like to have a child with. Again there is no evidence to support whether or not the addressee is a male or female, but it is easier to conclude that the addressee is a male if the narrator is female. The addressee of the sonnet has had the aging process hit them pretty hard and as stated earlier that is what the narrator is trying to point out. The addressee during their youth had treasures within their looks, but now as individuals have pointed out it is beginning to fade away (ll. 5-8). The narrator of the sonnet is convincing the addressee that having a child is the answer to the symptoms of time that the addressee is experiencing. Shakespeare writes at the end of the sonnet “if thou couldst answer ‘This fair child of mine shall sum my count and make my old excuse,’ proving his beauty by succession thine!” (ll. 10-12). From these lines we learn that if the addressee can point out that they have a child it would make up for the old age and make the most of the life that they have lived. It is important to the narrator that the addressee procreate a son and we can see this when Shakespeare discusses the child “proving his beauty by succession thine” (l. 12). The reason why the narrator is speaking to the address or the context of this sonnet is to try to get them to have sex with them. Shakespeare alludes the question of “will you have sex with me?” into using the narrator to point out the aging of the addressee and making them feel that in order to justify the effects of time, one must have a child. The narrator uses degradation of beauty to make the addressee feel that they have no other option other than having sex with the narrator and procreating a son with them. The narrator of the poem feels that the fondness of the beauty that the addressee holds is so important that it is extremely important not to be selfish, but instead pass on the looks to a son who would walk in their footsteps. The reader will find evidence that by not being selfish and procreating a son when the narrator says “shall sum my count and make my old excuse, proving his beauty by succession thine” (ll. 11-12). The beauty that will be recreated within the son will prove that the addressee or the child’s parent once expressed the same beauty that the child bears, and society will know at some point the addressee was just as beautiful. The message of the poem or what can be extracted from the sonnet is the importance of child bearing. Throughout the sonnet we find that the narrator is trying to win over the addressee in order to get them to have sex with them and thus procreate a son. Through the context the reader will learn that child bearing can be the answer to all of the problems that one will face with time. It is important not to waste this time, because if they do they will have no time to procreate and justify their time spent on earth. The literal message of the sonnet is that the addressee should not throw all of their beauty away with time and unnecessary pleasures, but to have children which would then satisfy the world and their importance while here. However, if you dig deeper you could gain an underlying message that if the addressee is a man then they should wed a wife, thus giving them the opportunity to have sex and procreate, which would later tie into the literal message. Either message that is obtained from the sonnet it is important to understand the significance of child bearing. Shakespeare concludes at the end of the sonnet that when old and dead the only thing that is going to bring warmth to you will be your child who is youthful and expresses attributes of yourself (ll. 13-14). In conclusion, the message of “Sonnet 2” by William Shakespeare is that one must procreate in order to justify their time spent on earth. The sonnet addresses issues that are faced by every individual and throughout every society. By addressing these problems, Shakespeare plays into the idea that the society “norm” is marriage and childbearing, in which everybody should participate in. From reading other of Shakespeare’s sonnets I have found that sonnet 2 is one of several procreation sonnets’ that tries to get the addressee to slow down and make worth of their life by having children. I have learned from this sonnet that as I get older I will age and if I want to carry on traits that I express I must pass them onto a child which will bear them when I am dead.