By William Shakespeare
QUICK SUMMARY
Shakespeare warns the young man that aging will strip away his beauty, and only a child can preserve his legacy and defend him against time’s decay.
Full Poem: Sonnet 2 (1609)
When forty winters shall besiege thy brow,
And dig deep trenches in thy beauty’s field,
Thy youth’s proud livery, so gazed on now,
Will be a tattered weed, of small worth held.
Then being asked where all thy beauty lies,
Where all the treasure of thy lusty days,
To say within thine own deep-sunken eyes
Were an all-eating shame, and thriftless praise.
How much more praise deserved thy beauty’s use,
If thou couldst answer, “This fair child of mine
Shall sum my count, and make my old excuse,”
Proving his beauty by succession thine!
This were to be new made when thou art old,
And see thy blood warm when thou feel’st it cold.
Analysis
Sonnet 2 strengthens and intensifies the argument Shakespeare introduces in Sonnet 1: that beauty carries a responsibility, and that refusing to pass it on is both a moral failure and an invitation to future regret. Here, Shakespeare shifts from celebrating the young man’s beauty to confronting him with an imagined future in which time has stripped that beauty away. By projecting the youth forward to old age, Shakespeare creates a powerful emotional contrast between the radiance of the present and the decay of the future, hoping to motivate him through fear, logic, and affection.
The Military Imagery of Aging
The poem opens with a striking metaphor: “When forty winters shall besiege thy brow.” Shakespeare depicts aging as a military siege, transforming the natural process of growing older into a violent assault on the body. This metaphor would have resonated with Renaissance readers, who were familiar with warfare and the structures of sieges. When Shakespeare writes that wrinkles will “dig deep trenches” in the youth’s “beauty’s field,” he draws on the imagery of battlefield earthworks, emphasizing that time’s power is not passive — it is strategic and relentless.
The youth’s face, once admired as smooth and youthful, becomes the site of invasion. Shakespeare uses the language of war to remind the young man that beauty is fragile, and that its destruction is inevitable. The effect is both visually vivid and emotionally unsettling, making the case for procreation far more urgent.
The Deterioration of Youth’s “Proud Livery”
The phrase “youth’s proud livery” refers to the honorable clothing, or outward signs, of young age. In Shakespeare’s world, livery often indicated service, allegiance, or identity. By describing youth as a garment worn with pride, Shakespeare suggests that beauty itself is a badge of honor — something others recognize and admire.
But this livery, he warns, will one day be reduced to a “tattered weed.” The contrast is sharp: the youth’s present beauty is luxurious and impressive, but time will turn it into something ragged and worthless. Shakespeare’s choice of “weed” reminds the reader that even something admired today can become an unwanted, neglected remnant tomorrow.
The Shame of Hoarded Beauty
In the second quatrain, Shakespeare imagines a troubling scenario. Someone asks the aged youth where his beauty has gone. Without a child to carry it forward, he must answer by pointing to his “deep-sunken eyes,” which no longer reflect the vitality they once held. The poet describes this as an “all-eating shame,” a phrase suggesting not only personal regret but the judgment of others who see his wasted potential.
The key phrase here is “thriftless praise.” Shakespeare accuses the youth of hoarding beauty instead of using it wisely. Praise directed at himself alone produces nothing — it dies with him. This idea of “thriftlessness” ties the poem to Renaissance values around stewardship, moral responsibility, and social duty. To Shakespeare, beauty is not a personal possession but something entrusted to the youth by nature.
The Child as a Living Treasury
The third quatrain offers the antidote to this shame. Shakespeare imagines the youth proudly saying, “This fair child of mine shall sum my count.” The phrase “sum my count” evokes financial language, as if a child balances the ledger of the father’s life. In a world where lineage, inheritance, and family reputation mattered deeply, having an heir was essential for maintaining status and ensuring continuity.
Shakespeare’s argument is both emotional and pragmatic. A child becomes:
- A record of the youth’s beauty
- A justification for the loss of his own physical grace
- A reassurance that something of him survives
Shakespeare transforms procreation into a form of self-preservation. Beauty, once passed on, does not vanish — it evolves.
Renewal Through Blood and Lineage
The final couplet offers a moving promise:
“This were to be new made when thou art old,
And see thy blood warm when thou feel’st it cold.”
This couplet deepens the contrast between youth and age. Even as the young man experiences physical coldness in old age — a metaphor for declining vitality — he would witness his own “warm blood” in his child. Shakespeare’s language expresses a profound emotional truth: seeing one’s child can feel like seeing a younger version of oneself, a renewal that defies time’s erosion.
This idea of symbolic rebirth becomes one of the most powerful motivations in the early sonnets. Shakespeare appeals not only to vanity and social expectation but to the deeply human desire for continuity.
Sonnet 2 Within the Procreation Sequence
Sonnets 1–17 collectively urge the youth to have children, but Sonnet 2 stands out for its visual intensity and emotional clarity. Shakespeare’s strategy evolves here: instead of praising beauty, he imagines its disappearance. Instead of celebrating potential, he foresees its waste.
Sonnet 1 warns of beauty dying with the self.
Sonnet 2 shows what that death will look like.
Together, they create a persuasive narrative that casts the youth’s refusal not as a personal choice but as an ethical failure affecting both himself and the world.
Rhetorical Power and Persuasive Techniques
Shakespeare employs several rhetorical strategies:
- Fear appeal: Reminding the youth of future ugliness
- Shame appeal: Imagining the youth unable to defend his choices
- Praise appeal: Emphasizing the value of his beauty
- Logical appeal: Presenting a child as a solution to the problem of time
- Emotional appeal: Highlighting the comfort of seeing one’s bloodline continue
This layered persuasion reveals Shakespeare’s mastery of rhetoric and explains why the procreation sonnets feel both intimate and assertive.
Modern Relevance of Sonnet 2
Although written within a culture that valued lineage, Sonnet 2 remains relevant because its themes transcend its era. The fear of aging, the desire to leave something meaningful behind, and the anxiety of wasted potential remain universal. Whether or not one endorses Shakespeare’s specific solution — having children — the emotional concerns he addresses continue to resonate.
The poem speaks to a fundamental human experience: the awareness that beauty and life are temporary, and the longing to extend oneself into the future.
