Who is the poem addressed to?

The poem addresses the "Fair Youth," an unnamed young man featured in the first 126 sonnets. While his true identity remains a mystery, scholars frequently suggest that he could be Henry Wriothesley or William Herbert.

What does "forty winters" mean?

It refers to about forty years old. In Elizabethan England, reaching forty was seen as the brink of old age. Shakespeare treats it as a deadline—by that age, a young person's beauty will fade if they haven't taken steps to maintain it.

What does "tatter'd weed" mean?

A "weed" in Elizabethan English referred to a garment or item of clothing. "Tatter'd weed" describes a worn-out, ragged piece of clothing — a stark contrast to the fine, esteemed "proud livery" of youth. This phrase serves as a metaphor for beauty that has faded and lost its value.

Why does Shakespeare use so much financial language?

Words like "treasure," "sum my count," and "thriftless" transform beauty into a form of currency. The idea here is that beauty is an asset — you can invest it wisely by having a child or squander it by hoarding it. This perspective makes selfishness seem not only vain but also economically unwise.

What does the final couplet mean?

"This is to be renewed when you are old, / And feel your blood warm when you feel it cold." It means: having a child is like being reborn. When your own body feels cold and weak, seeing your child's vibrant life is the closest experience to living a second time.

How does Sonnet 2 fit into the larger sonnet sequence?

It's the second of seventeen "Procreation Sonnets" (1–17), and they all share a common theme: have a child before your beauty fades. After Sonnet 17, Shakespeare moves away from this idea, and the sequence shifts to explore love, time, and the power of poetry itself.

Is the poem just about having children, or does it say something bigger about time?

It's fundamentally about mortality. The child argument reflects Shakespeare's suggested way to tackle the issue of time erasing all that is beautiful. The underlying message is that nothing endures — not beauty, youth, or even life itself — and the only way for humans to respond is to leave a piece of themselves behind before it's too late.

The Annotated Edition

Sonnet 2 by William Shakespeare

Summary, meaning, line-by-line analysis & FAQ.

Read aloud in ~1 min

Shakespeare's Sonnet 2 conveys a message to a young, beautiful individual: time will eventually diminish your looks, so the wisest choice is to have a child to carry on your beauty.

Poet: William Shakespeare
Themes: beauty, identity, mortality

The PoemFull text

Sonnet 2

William Shakespeare

When forty winters shall besiege thy brow, And dig deep trenches in thy beauty’s field, Thy youth’s proud livery so gazed on now, Will be a tatter’d weed of small worth held: Then being asked, where all thy beauty lies, Where all the treasure of thy lusty days; To say, within thine own deep sunken eyes, Were an all-eating shame, and thriftless praise. How much more praise deserv’d thy beauty’s use, If thou couldst answer ‘This fair child of mine Shall sum my count, and make my old excuse,’ Proving his beauty by succession thine! This were to be new made when thou art old, And see thy blood warm when thou feel’st it cold.

§01Quick summary

What this poem is about

Shakespeare's Sonnet 2 conveys a message to a young, beautiful individual: time will eventually diminish your looks, so the wisest choice is to have a child to carry on your beauty. Hoarding your beauty is both wasteful and shameful. The only way to remain "young" after aging is to pass it on to a child.

§02Themes

Recurring themes

§03Line by line

Stanza by stanza, with notes

When forty winters shall besiege thy brow, / And dig deep trenches in thy beauty's field,
Editor's note
The opening quatrain employs military and agricultural imagery to convey the concept of aging. "Forty winters" symbolizes *middle age* — a prolonged siege that etches wrinkles ("deep trenches") into the face of the young person ("beauty's field"). The term "besiege" portrays time as an invading army, transforming the face into a battlefield. Youth's elegant attire ("proud livery") will eventually turn into a tattered rag ("tatter'd weed") — something that no one appreciates anymore.
Then being asked, where all thy beauty lies, / Where all the treasure of thy lusty days;
Editor's note
The second quatrain envisions a future moment of reckoning. Someone asks the now-old person: where did all that beauty go? If the only honest answer is "it's locked inside my own sunken eyes" — suggesting it was hoarded and never shared — that response is labeled as "all-eating shame" and "thriftless praise." Here, thriftless means *wasteful*, so praising beauty you kept to yourself is praise that gained nothing.
How much more praise deserv'd thy beauty's use, / If thou couldst answer 'This fair child of mine
Editor's note
The third quatrain shifts focus to the solution. Shakespeare suggests that beauty *used* — which implies its investment in creating a child — deserves much more admiration than beauty kept to oneself. The metaphor here is financial: beauty is like capital, and a child represents the return on that investment. The phrase "sum my count" indicates that the child balances the account, while "make my old excuse" implies that the child validates the parent's aging body. The child's beauty *demonstrates* that the parent was once beautiful as well.
This were to be new made when thou art old, / And see thy blood warm when thou feel'st it cold.
Editor's note
The closing couplet offers a powerful emotional payoff. Having a child is depicted as being "new made" — akin to experiencing a second birth or a renewal. Observing a young child's warm, life-giving blood while your own grows cold with age is the closest we come to immortality as humans. The stark contrast of warm and cold blood in one line creates a visceral and urgent argument.

§04Tone & mood

How this poem feels

The tone feels urgent and convincing, much like a wise older friend presenting a case that's hard to dispute. Shakespeare doesn't approach aging with cruelty; he's straightforward. The poem flows like a solid argument: it outlines the problem, explains why it's shameful to overlook it, offers a solution, and presents the reward. Beneath the logical structure, there's real warmth, particularly in that last couplet, where the contrast of cold and warmth resonates with genuine emotion instead of just clever phrasing.

§05Symbols & metaphors

Symbols & metaphors

Forty winters: A tangible representation of middle age and the wear and tear of time. In Elizabethan England, "forty" marked the beginning of old age, which likely struck Shakespeare's original readers more profoundly than it does for us today.
Deep trenches: Wrinkles, portrayed as wounds from a military siege. This metaphor transforms aging into a violent act against the body, suggesting that the threat is both active and relentless.
Tatter'd weed: A worn-out garment — the opposite of "youth's proud livery" (fine, admired clothing). It symbolizes beauty that has diminished and lost its social worth, something people overlook rather than notice.
Treasure / sum my count: Financial language weaves throughout the poem. Beauty is portrayed as a form of capital that can be invested wisely (by having a child) or squandered (by hoarding it). This perspective suggests that selfishness is not only vain but also economically unwise.
Warm blood / cold blood: The final image of warm versus cold blood represents life and decline. A child's warm blood is clear evidence that the parent's vitality hasn't disappeared — it's been passed on and lives on.
Fair child: The child embodies biological immortality—the only way for a mortal to extend their life beyond death. This child is not just a literal being but also a symbol of legacy and continuity.

§06Historical context

Historical context

Sonnet 2 is the second poem in Shakespeare's collection of 154 sonnets, published in 1609. It is part of the first group known as the "Procreation Sonnets" (Sonnets 1–17), all directed at a young man—often referred to as the "Fair Youth." These sonnets share a common theme: you are beautiful, that beauty fades, and you should have a child before it’s too late. The true identity of the Fair Youth remains a mystery, although some speculate it could be Henry Wriothesley (Earl of Southampton) or William Herbert (Earl of Pembroke). The sonnets were likely written in the 1590s. In the context of Elizabethan England, having an heir was a significant social and dynastic duty, particularly for noblemen, which adds a deeper cultural significance to the poem's financial and legal terms ("sum my count," "old excuse") beyond mere metaphor.

§07FAQ

Questions readers ask

It's a persuasion poem. Shakespeare conveys to a young, beautiful individual that aging will diminish their looks, and the only way to maintain their beauty is to have a child who will inherit it. Holding onto beauty for oneself is portrayed as wasteful and shameful.

Best Poems About Love

Account

Site

Sonnet 2 by William Shakespeare

Sonnet 2

What this poem is about

Recurring themes

Stanza by stanza, with notes

How this poem feels

Symbols & metaphors

Historical context

Questions readers ask

Poems in the same key

ODE ON A GRECIAN URN.

To His Coy Mistress

OZYMANDIAS.

ODE TO A NIGHTINGALE.

Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night

The Garden

Similar poems

More by William Shakespeare

Themes in this poem