When Forty Winters Siege Thy Brow – William Shakespeare [SUMMARY]

 

‘When forty winters shall besiege thy brow’ is sonnet 2 of 154 written by William Shakespeare. It is the second in a series of ‘Procreation Sonnets’. Here, the speaker of the poem addresses the Fair Youth (Mr.W.H.) about aging and the benefits of having children. He informs him that at the age of forty he loses his beauty and his face is going to look like a plowed field (Agricultural land). The only remedy for this is to get a child to whom he can bestow his beauty.

In the first quatrain, the speaker tells his friend that, when forty years will pass and time will leave its impression on his beautiful features and dig deep wrinkles on his face. Then his pride over his beauty may not be adored and now will be worthless.

Further, in the second quatrain, the speaker talks about consequences of his preserved beauty and how it will be dealt with by society. He says that he cannot answer the questions about his bygone beauty and the treasures of the youth. It would be shameful to reply to the questions about his beauty. He says that when all the beauty is lost his eyes become “deep-sunken”.

In the third quatrain, the speaker shows the brighter side of having children. He says that he will receive appreciation and he could answer that he spent his beauty in raising a child. It will be a good excuse for his loss of beauty. He says that the beauty of his child will be an incarnation of his friend. In the final

couplet, the speaker says that could feel young at his old age by seeing his beautiful child. Thus, the sonnet attempts to appeal to social morality to perpetuate his blood-line.

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English(RESPLENDENCE)

  WELCOME TO ENGLISH NOTES SECTION CLICK ON THE BELOW  POETRY  TO VIEWS : POETRY 01 : When Forty Winters Siege Thy Brow – William Shakespeare [SUMMARY]   POETRY 02  : Avarice – George Herbert [SUMMARY] POETRY 03  : O My Luve’s like a red, red rose - Robert Burns[SUMMARY] POETRY 04  : The World is too much with us- William Wordsworth [SUMMARY] POETRY 05  : POETRY 06  : POETRY 07  : On killing a tree-Gieve Patel [SUMMARY] POETRY 08  : Nine Gold Medals-David Roth [SUMMARY] CLICK ON THE BELOW  PROSE  TO VIEWS : PROSE  01 : PROSE  02 : The Position of Women in Hinduism and Buddhism – Dr. B.R. Ambedkar [SUMMARY] PROSE  03 : The Miser-George Orwell [SUMMARY] PROSE  04 : Going Green – Ramachandra Guha [SUMMARY]
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