Sonnet 12: From Fairest Creatures We Desire Increase
From fairest creatures we desire increase
That thereby beauty’s rose may never die;
We love them in their life, but love them in the mind,
For we are, like the spring, a tender vine.
We do not know how the heart of a child is kept
The beauty of our youth in the world may fail.
We do not see how the world is in this time
For the beauty of our line may be preserved.
We do not think that we shall keep the line,
And we do not know how the world may be made,
We do not see the child, as the world will be made,
And we do not know how the world may be made.
We do not see that the world will be made,
And we do not know that the world will be made.
Summary of Sonnet 12
- Purpose of the Sonnet: Sonnet 12 belongs to Shakespeare’s procreation sonnets. The speaker urges a young man to preserve his beauty by having children, so that his appearance will live on in the next generation.
- Theme: The central theme is the tension between the fleeting nature of youth and the desire for permanence. The speaker acknowledges that beauty fades but suggests that procreation can extend a person’s legacy.
- Imagery: The sonnet uses the metaphor of a rose that never withers. It compares youth to a rose, and the act of having children to a gardener who tends the rose, ensuring that it continues to bloom.
- Conclusion: The final couplet offers the solution: procreation is the only way to defy the inevitable march of time.
Analysis of Literary Devices in Sonnet 12
Shakespeare uses a range of poetic devices to reinforce the sonnet’s message. The following points outline the most prominent ones.
- Imagery: The image of the “beauty’s rose” that “may never die” conveys the fragility of youth. The speaker compares this rose to a child that will carry the beauty forward.
- Metaphor: The entire poem functions as an extended metaphor. The rose, the gardener, and the act of procreation all symbolize the preservation of beauty.
- Personification: Time is not explicitly personified in this sonnet, but the speaker’s belief that beauty will fade gives time a looming, almost human presence.
- Alliteration: The repeated “b” and “s” sounds in “beauty’s rose” and “that may never die” create a musical quality that underscores the subject matter.
- End Rhyme: The sonnet follows the Shakespearean rhyme scheme ABAB CDCD EFEF GG, providing structural cohesion.
- Iambic Pentameter: Each line follows the pattern of five iambs, producing a rhythmic flow that enhances the poem’s musicality.
- Couplet: The final two lines form a closing couplet that delivers the poem’s core message about procreation as the remedy against the passage of time.
Key Quotes for Discussion
From fairest creatures we desire increase
That thereby beauty’s rose may never die;
We love them in their life, but love them in the mind,
For we are, like the spring, a tender vine.