Shakespeare | Sonnet 3 | Text with Critical Study
Shakespeare | Sonnet 3 | A Critical Study
(Shakespeare’s Sonnet 3: Text, Analytical Study | Word Notes | Faqs)
Shakespeare’s Sonnet 3 – Text
Look in thy glass, and tell the face thou viewest
Now is the time that face should form another;
Whose fresh repair if now thou not renewest,
Thou dost beguile the world, unbless some mother.
For where is she so fair whose unear’d womb
Disdains the tillage of thy husbandry?
Or who is he so fond will be the tomb
Of his self-love, to stop posterity?
Thou art thy mother’s glass, and she in thee
Calls back the lovely April of her prime:
So thou through windows of thine age shall see
Despite of wrinkles this thy golden time.
But if thou live, remember’d not to be,
Die single, and thine image dies with thee. 0
Shakespeare’s Sonnet 3 – An Analytical Study
Thematic Analysis:
Shakespeare’s Sonnet 3 is a reflection on the importance of procreation and the passing of one’s legacy. The speaker urges the young man to look at himself in the mirror and consider the passing of time. The poem highlights the idea that if the young man does not reproduce, he will have failed to fulfill his duty to the world and his own mother. The poem urges the young man to realize his responsibility in creating a legacy and ensuring his own memory.
The sonnet draws attention to the passing of time and the inevitability of aging. The speaker highlights the fleeting nature of youth and the importance of using it to create a legacy. The poem explores the idea that a person’s legacy is not only important to their own memory but to the world at large. The speaker suggests that if the young man fails to procreate, he will beguile the world and cause an injustice to his own mother.
The poem also draws on the idea of beauty and its transience. The speaker asks the young man to consider his own beauty and the fact that it will fade with time. The poem highlights the idea that beauty is fleeting and encourages the young man to use his youth and beauty to create a lasting legacy.
Literary Device Analysis:
Shakespeare employs several literary devices to convey the themes of the poem. One of the most prominent literary devices is the use of metaphors. The speaker uses the metaphor of a mirror to represent the passing of time and the importance of creating a legacy. The metaphor is repeated throughout the poem to draw attention to the fleeting nature of youth and beauty.
Another literary device used in the poem is alliteration. The speaker employs alliteration to create a sense of urgency and to draw attention to important ideas. For example, in the lines “Whose fresh repair if now thou not renewest,” the repetition of the “r” sound draws attention to the importance of renewing one’s youth.
The poem also employs personification to convey its ideas. The speaker personifies the world, referring to it as being “beguiled” if the young man fails to procreate. The personification of the world gives the poem a sense of weight and importance, highlighting the idea that one’s legacy is not only important to one’s own memory but to the world at large.
Finally, the poem employs imagery to convey its themes. The speaker uses imagery to create a vivid picture of youth and beauty. For example, in the lines “Calls back the lovely April of her prime,” the imagery of April highlights the idea of youth and freshness. The use of imagery creates a sense of nostalgia and draws attention to the fleeting nature of beauty and youth. 0 0 0.
Shakespeare’s Sonnet 3 – Word Notes
“Look in thy glass”: The poet is addressing the fair youth, asking him to look at himself in a mirror.
“And tell the face thou viewest”: The poet wants the fair youth to take a good look at his own face and reflect on what he sees.
“Now is the time that face should form another”: The poet suggests that the fair youth is at the age where he should start thinking about passing on his beauty to another generation by having children.
“Whose fresh repair”: The poet describes the children the fair youth could have as a “fresh repair” of his own beauty, as they would carry on his good looks and youthful vigor.
“Thou art thy mother’s glass”: The poet reminds the fair youth that he is a reflection of his mother and carries on her beauty and virtues.
“And she in thee”: Similarly, the fair youth also carries on the virtues of his mother in himself.
“Calls back the lovely April of her prime”: The poet compares the fair youth’s mother to the season of April, which is associated with youthfulness and beauty.
“So thou through windows of thine age shalt see”: The poet suggests that the fair youth will see himself reflected in his own children, and that this will be a way for him to preserve his own beauty and youthfulness through the generations.
Overall, Shakespeare’s Sonnet 3 is a meditation on the nature of beauty and the passage of time, and how the fair youth can ensure that his own beauty is passed down to future generations. 0 0 0.
Shakespeare’s Sonnet 3 – Faqs
Q: What is Shakespeare’s Sonnet 3 about?
A: Shakespeare’s Sonnet 3 is about the idea that beauty and youth are fleeting and will eventually succumb to the ravages of time, but that procreation can serve as a way to preserve one’s beauty and continue one’s legacy.
Q: What is the rhyme scheme of Sonnet 3?
A: The rhyme scheme of Sonnet 3 is ABAB CDCD EFEF GG, which is a Shakespearean (or English) sonnet form.
Q: What is the meaning of the line “Thou art thy mother’s glass, and she in thee”?
A: This line means that the young man addressed in the poem is a reflection or image of his mother, both physically and in terms of character traits. This suggests that the young man has inherited qualities from his mother that will live on in his progeny.
Q: What is the significance of the phrase “death’s second self”?
A: “Death’s second self” refers to the idea that procreation can serve as a way to cheat death, since one’s legacy can live on through one’s offspring even after one’s own death. This phrase implies that having children is a way to create a kind of immortality.
Q: What is the tone of Sonnet 3?
A: The tone of Sonnet 3 is somewhat melancholy and contemplative, as Shakespeare reflects on the transience of youth and beauty. However, there is also a sense of hopefulness and encouragement, as he urges the young man to procreate and continue his lineage.
Q: What is the theme of Sonnet 3?
A: The theme of Sonnet 3 is the passing of time and the importance of procreation in preserving one’s legacy. The poem suggests that youth and beauty are fleeting, but that procreation can serve as a kind of immortality. ***.
N.B. This article originally belongs to the book entitled ‘Shakespeare’s Sonnets-Critical Studies‘ by Menonim Menonimus.
Books of Literary Criticism by M. Menonimus:
- World Short Story Criticism
- World Poetry Criticism
- World Drama Criticism
- World Novel Criticism
- World Essay Criticism
- Indian English Poetry Criticism
- Indian English Poets and Poetry Chief Features
- Emily Dickinson’s Poetry-A Thematic Study
- Walt Whitman’s Poetry-A Thematic Study
- Critical Essays on English Poetry
- Tawfiq al-Hakim’s Novel: Return of the Spirit-An Analytical Study
- Tawfiq al-Hakim’s Novel: ‘Yawmiyyat Naib Fil Arayaf’-An Analytical Study
- Analytical Studies of Some Arabic Short Stories
- A Brief History of Arabic Literature: Pre-Islamic Period (500 AD-622 AD)
- A Brief History of Arabic Literature: Early Islamic Period (622 AD-661 AD)
- Reviews on William Shakespeare’s Works
- Reviews of Charles Dickens’ Works
- Reviews of John Milton’s Literary Works
- Reviews of Some Iconic Travelogues
- Shakespeare’s Sonnets-Critical Studies …
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