Sonnet 1

Sonnet 1 is the first of Shakespeare’s sonnets directed at the unknown identity of Mr. W.H. Through the sonnet, the speaker tries to persuade the boy to start a family. The first quatrain says tells the boy that what is beautiful should procreate so that their beauty never dies. The second quatrain implies that the boy is selfish for not having done this, and the third quatrain argues that he must have children, or else his beauty will die. The couplet ends the sonnet by telling the boy how grave it will be for the world if he does not procreate. The speaker reinforces his point by using a mix of compliments, guilt, and scare tactics. He implies the boy himself is beautiful: “From fairest creatures we desire increase.” He makes the him feel guilty by suggesting that he is selfish for not having children: “Feed’st thy light’s flame with self-substantial fuel.” And, the speaker scares him by saying that his beauty will someday fade: “the world's fresh ornament / And only herald to the gaudy spring.” By using a combination of these tactics, the speaker hopes to presuade is ultimate message: have children.