Reflection on Sonnet One

Shakespeare is very direct throughout the entirety of this sonnet. The speaker is addressing the listener to go forth and proliferate, acknowledging that the listener is beautiful and that the general population always wants more of what is beautiful, so the listener would be doing a justice for the public and himself by having children. It is this sonnet in which we first explore the relationship between Mr. W.H. and Shakespeare, acknowledging that there is some sort of emotional connection between the two individuals, regardless of whether or not the relationship is formed based on Shakespeare's income provided by the family.

It is assumed that Mr. W.H. was a young man who was part of a noble family, a family which hired Shakespeare as a writer to come into the household and dedicate poetry to Mr. W.H. as both a form of entertainment and to encourage the young man to settle down, find a wife, and having children as a means of carrying the family name and prosperity. This is only one of the many conclusions made within the literary world, however this is the theory which we discussed throughout class.

The aspect of Sonnet One that I most admire is how bold Shakespeare is within his poetry. He is telling the young man how selfish he is to not want to procreate. This direct accusal and praise toward the young man leads the reader to believe that Shakespeare finds the young man to be desirable.