Sonnet 12

In his twelfth sonnet, Shakespeare reminds the young man that nothing lasts forever. He uses harsh comparisons such as “the brave day sunk in hideous night” (Shakespeare 2) to make it clear that growing old is tragic and dreadful. In the last few lines of the sonnet, the speaker is suggesting to the young man that the only way to defy and survive the ravages of Time is to have children. When Time takes you away, your children will be there to replace you. Throughout the poem, Shakespeare capitalizes “time”, personifying it and giving it a character in the sonnet. He gives it a negative character, because he is telling the young man all the damage it can cause, portraying Time as the enemy. In this particular sonnet, I think Shakespeare has taken his determination for the young man to have children just a little bit too far. If he doesn’t want to have kids yet it’s not the end of the world, and bringing up death when the young man is so early in his life is a bit superfluous.