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Shakespeare's 6th Sonnet (Hardcore Analysis) (Patreon)

Published:
2021-11-02 16:25:23
Imported:
2026-06
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Content

Shakespeare's sixth sonnet is a continuation of his fifth sonnet.

Here we see Shakespeare preoccupied with the seasons in our lives, and leaving a legacy.

There is some beautiful imagery in this sonnet, and plenty of evidence to showcase Shakespeare's auricular artistry.

Timestamps:

  • 0:00 how to read the sonnets against each other
  • 2:00 reading the sonnets alongside the plays
  • 3:00 the Proustian rereading practice 
  • 4:00 is this a good sonnet?
  • 4:30 what is sonnet six about?
  • 5:30 reading the sonnet together
  • 7:00 sonnet analysis begins
  • 7:40 Shakespeare the composer
  • 8:20 examining the First Quarto version
  • 9:00 "winters wragged hand"
  • 9:30 personification and figurative language
  • 11:00 the metaphor of treasure
  • 11:30 addresser-addressee relationship
  • 12:00 indifference vs love and hate
  • 13:50 poetic imperatives 
  • 15:00 when did Shakespeare write this sonnet?
  • 16:00 taking the sonnet as a whole
  • 17:00 the sound of Shakespeare
  • 18:00 the final couplet, and ellipsis 
  • 20:30 questions for you

Sonnet VI

Then let not winter’s ragged hand deface
In thee thy summer, ere thou be distill’d:
Make sweet some vial; treasure thou some place
With beauty’s treasure, ere it be self-kill’d.
That use is not forbidden usury,
Which happies those that pay the willing loan;
That’s for thyself to breed another thee,
Or ten times happier, be it ten for one;
Ten times thyself were happier than thou art,
If ten of thine ten times refigur’d thee:
Then what could death do, if thou shouldst depart,
Leaving thee living in posterity?
Be not self-will’d, for thou art much too fair
To be death’s conquest and make worms thine heir.

Shakespeare's Sonnet Project

Questions to Consider:

1) Where would you rank this sonnet amongst the first six? 

2) What is the dominant emotion colouring your world upon reading this sonnet? Any emotion - love, hate, and everything in between - is most certainly allowed and valid.

3) Which do you believe is more important in a Shakespearean sonnet - sentiment or artifice?

As always, let us know if you have a favourite line, image, or sentiment from this sixth sonnet.

Happy sonneteering!

Files

Previews only

Shakespeare's 6th Sonnet (Hardcore Analysis)

0:00 how to read the sonnets against each other 2:00 reading the sonnets alongside the plays 3:00 the Proustian rereading practice 4:00 is this a good sonnet? 4:30 what is sonnet six about? 5:30 reading the sonnet together 7:00 sonnet analysis begins 7:40 Shakespeare the composer 8:20 examining the First Quarto version 9:00 "winters wragged hand" 9:30 personification and figurative language 11:00 the metaphor of treasure 11:30 addresser-addressee relationship 12:00 indifference vs love and hate 13:50 poetic imperatives 15:00 when did Shakespeare write this sonnet? 16:00 taking the sonnet as a whole 17:00 the sound of Shakespeare 18:00 the final couplet, and ellipsis 20:30 questions for you

Comments

Florian Pesantes

I like this sonnet not. Before I give my reasons I turn to the easier task of my personal ranking the first six. I’m sure about the first two, a bit less decisive about the three in between. 1;5;4;2;3;6 It is certainly a masterfully crafted sonnet, you, Benjamin, (or may I thou thee?) pointed out its merits perfectly. The alliteration, the visual symmetry. My positive impressions first: The half lines I like Make sweet some vial; (the picture it paints, evoking also a lovely scent in my imagination, erotic wooing) treasure thou some place ( reminds me of Campbell’s sacred space ) Leaving thee living (the alliteration and the rhythm, the softness of “leaving” developing into the decisive “living”) What I truly dislike is the piercing fivefold repetition of the word and number ten. Like the annoying chime of a brassy clock. I can’t believe this sonnet is sincerely written to achieve the pretended aim. The author of Romeo and Juliet knew to woo. Paying a willing loan is the opposite of a seductive proposal. The author of “King Lear” and “Hamlet” is too good a psychologist to expect a young, beautiful, lively, maybe vain man to be enticed by the project of ten times ten copies of himself? Would he not know that the subconscious doesn’t understand grammatical negation? So the young one would hear: “Be self-will’d”. My suspicion is that he wrote the sonnet to show to the paying party that he did his best, maybe he chose a semantic field of accountancy which appears convincing to the father. And cunningly hopes the youth prefers a more adventurous lifestyle than breeding like a rabbit.

hardcoreliterature
>>71182284

Brilliant analysis, Florian. I personally love ranking things because the result is a sharpening of our reasons for liking or disliking - both perfectly fine so long as we know why. And you are so keenly tuned into your self, which, as Montaigne showed us, leads to the best understanding of other people. I’m also not much of a fan of this one. I would agree with your ranking, except perhaps personally manoeuvring number two up a little - but this has more to do with the rich discussions that have sprung from the sonnet rather than aesthetic merit. It seems that everyone here has zeroed in on the ten-times-ten part - very heavy handed stuff. I love that you’ve connected with Shakespeare’s different modes. The man was potentially more author of comedies than a tragedian. It took him perhaps four attempts before he could write compelling tragedy, but was the perfect comedian right from the start. After his string of tragedies - King Lear, Macbeth, Anthony and Cleopatra - he returned to the comedic form but this time tinged with great tragedy too. One wonders what happened in Shakespeare’s life around this time. I think you’re right about him showing the paying party he did his best - this made me smile! This may well answer a lot to some of the faults of the procreation sequence. We know from The Merry Wives of Windsor that Shakespeare doesn’t write to order very well.

Cindy

The emotion I am left with is sadness I think. I just do not like the idea of a battle with time and death and 'winning' it through procreation. I do have children, but 'preserving my summer essence' was not on my mind back then. Though I must admit that I kind of like that idea now that I'm older. But it definitely wasn't motivating me when I was young. I wasn't thinking about the winter season of life back then, and am not sure if that is what will convince a young man. At that moment in your life aren't you more focused on enjoying the journey instead of contemplating your own demise? Curious to see if Shakespeare will continue from this perspective or if he'll think of other reasons to have a child...