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The Annotated Edition

Sonnet 3 by William Shakespeare

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

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Shakespeare advises a young, handsome man to stop admiring his reflection and to consider starting a family instead—since beauty is truly passed on through children.

Poet
William Shakespeare
Themes
beauty, identity, mortality
The PoemFull text

Sonnet 3

William Shakespeare

Look in thy glass and tell the face thou viewest Now is the time that face should form another; Whose fresh repair if now thou not renewest, Thou dost beguile the world, unbless some mother. For where is she so fair whose unear’d womb Disdains the tillage of thy husbandry? Or who is he so fond will be the tomb, Of his self-love to stop posterity? Thou art thy mother’s glass and she in thee Calls back the lovely April of her prime; So thou through windows of thine age shalt see, Despite of wrinkles this thy golden time. But if thou live, remember’d not to be, Die single and thine image dies with thee.

Public domain

Sourced from Project Gutenberg

§01Quick summary

What this poem is about

Shakespeare advises a young, handsome man to stop admiring his reflection and to consider starting a family instead—since beauty is truly passed on through children. If he chooses to remain single and childless out of vanity, his appearance will fade from existence when he dies. Essentially, the poem conveys a refined message: "Share your good looks and don’t hoard them."

§02Themes

Recurring themes

§03Line by line

Stanza by stanza, with notes

  1. Look in thy glass and tell the face thou viewest / Now is the time that face should form another;

    Editor's note

    Shakespeare begins with a straightforward command: look in your mirror. The face you see is so beautiful that it *should* be passed on — in other words, you ought to have a child who resembles you. The term "glass" (mirror) establishes a key image that permeates the entire poem: reflection serving as a symbol for legacy.

  2. Whose fresh repair if now thou not renewest, / Thou dost beguile the world, unbless some mother.

    Editor's note

    "Fresh repair" refers to maintaining or renewing beauty — through a child. If a young man chooses not to do this, he is *cheating* the world out of his beauty and denying a woman the joy of motherhood. Shakespeare portrays selfishness as a form of theft from others.

  3. For where is she so fair whose unear'd womb / Disdains the tillage of thy husbandry?

    Editor's note

    Shakespeare employs a farming metaphor here: an "unear'd womb" refers to unploughed land, while "tillage of thy husbandry" indicates the cultivation of that land. He poses the question: what woman deserving of you would truly *refuse* to bear your children? The implied answer is none — leaving the young man without an excuse.

  4. Or who is he so fond will be the tomb, / Of his self-love to stop posterity?

    Editor's note

    "Fond" in this context refers to being foolish. Shakespeare questions who would be so foolish as to allow self-love to turn into a tomb — a dead end that extinguishes the family line. Narcissism is portrayed as a form of suicide for one's legacy.

  5. Thou art thy mother's glass and she in thee / Calls back the lovely April of her prime;

    Editor's note

    Now the mirror image flips. Just as the young man gazes into the glass, *he* becomes his mother's reflection — she sees her own lost youth in his features. "April of her prime" beautifully captures the height of her beauty and youth. This is Shakespeare's softest point: you already understand what it means to be someone’s living legacy, because you are your mother’s.

  6. So thou through windows of thine age shalt see, / Despite of wrinkles this thy golden time.

    Editor's note

    "Windows of your age" are the eyes of your future children — you'll look through them and see your own golden youth reflected back, even as your face grows wrinkled. It's a touching image: old age softened by the sight of your legacy continuing.

  7. But if thou live, remember'd not to be, / Die single and thine image dies with thee.

    Editor's note

    The closing couplet delivers a powerful warning. If the young man decides to live without leaving a child, he'll fade into oblivion, taking his image — his beauty, his essence — with him. No child, no reflection, no legacy. This is the harshest outcome Shakespeare can present.

§04Tone & mood

How this poem feels

The tone is both urgent and persuasive, yet it remains kind. Shakespeare reads like a wise older friend making an argument — there's a comforting warmth in the mother figure, cleverness in the farming metaphor, and a subtle sadness in the closing couplet. The poem doesn't ridicule the young man for his vanity; instead, it gently aims to guide it toward something that will endure beyond him.

§05Symbols & metaphors

Symbols & metaphors

The glass (mirror)
The mirror symbolizes self-reflection and vanity, yet Shakespeare gives it a broader meaning: it can also reveal what you owe to the future. Gazing at your own face should inspire you to replicate it, not merely admire it.
The unear'd womb / tillage
The farming imagery — unploughed land, cultivation, husbandry — portrays reproduction as a natural, productive activity. Choosing not to have children resembles leaving fertile land unused: wasteful and contrary to nature's intent.
April
April is the height of youth and beauty, a short time when everything is fresh and blooming. By nature, it’s borrowed and fleeting, which aligns perfectly with Shakespeare's message: beauty needs to be shared before the season changes.
The tomb
Self-love that hinders future generations is likened to a tomb — a grave. The young man's unchecked narcissism doesn't protect him; it buries him. This imagery transforms vanity into a form of living death.
Windows of thine age
A child's eyes are often seen as windows that allow an aging parent to glimpse their own youthful days once more. This perspective transforms children from a perceived burden into a valuable gift that the young man offers to his future self.

§06Historical context

Historical context

Sonnet 3 is the third poem in Shakespeare's collection of 154 sonnets, first published in 1609. It's part of the initial group known as the "Procreation Sonnets" (sonnets 1–17), which are all directed at a striking young man — often referred to as the "Fair Youth." The core message of these sonnets is clear: have children before your beauty fades away. This series was likely composed in the 1590s. The identity of the Fair Youth remains a mystery, with possible candidates including Henry Wriothesley, the Earl of Southampton, and William Herbert, the Earl of Pembroke. The procreation sonnets reflect Renaissance thoughts on legacy, lineage, and the responsibility of the nobility to perpetuate their bloodlines. They also echo classical themes of celebrating beauty while mourning its fleeting nature, as seen in the works of Ovid and other Latin poets familiar to Shakespeare.

§07FAQ

Questions readers ask

He is speaking to a young man of extraordinary beauty, often referred to as the "Fair Youth." While we can't definitively identify this individual from history, scholars have suggested several Elizabethan noblemen. For the poem, what’s important is that he is young, attractive, and seemingly hesitant about marrying and having children.

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