One sonnet that caught my eye in particular is Sonnet #3, which is as follows:
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 uneared 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 remembered not to be,
Die single, and thine image dies with thee.
In my opinion, this sonnet is addressed to a woman, probably one that Shakespeare had a personal connection with. The words of this sonnet seem to warn the woman that she should have children; rather, "now" is the right time to have children (line 2). While I was initially confused by lines 3 through 8, a closer look helped me to at least hash out a possible meaning. I believe that lines 3 through 4 seem to suggest that by not having children, this woman would be denying other women the opportunity to have children. If the woman's child were to be male, she would deny another woman from marrying her son and having children with him. However, if the woman's child were to be female, she would be denying her daughter the opportunity to have children.
Lines 5 through 8 confused me even more. I began by looking up what "tillage" meant (line 6). According to the OED (Oxford English Dictionary), "tillage" in the sense of Shakespeare's poem means "sexual intercourse" (OED 1d). With this definition in mine, Shakespeare in lines 5 through 6 seems to broaden his guilt-trip. Not only would the woman be ruining the opportunities of future women by not having children, but she would also be harming her husband. For if she does not have children, her husband will not be able to have intercourse with her. I am a little shakey on this interpretation because it hinges on the fact that there was no opportunity for birth control in that age. But since I am unsure, I will continue with my analysis.
The footnotes provided in my textbook helped me to understand lines 7 through 8. According to the writer of these footnotes, these lines are asking "who is so foolish that he will selfishly deny posterity a child?" (p 1947). To me, Shakespeare seems to be asking if the woman is so selfish that she will deny her husband the opportunity to have children. But I could be absolutely wrong.
The final part of the sonnet I didn't need too much assistance on. In lines 9-10, Shakespeare tells the woman that her mother saw her youth and beauty in her daughter. The woman is her mother's reflection-she shows what her mother used to be. By including these lines, Shakespeare seems to indicate that the woman will be able to see her former beauty in her children. In fact, he states this exact idea in lines 11-12. In the final couplet, lines 13-14, Shakespeare warns the woman that unless she has children, she will be forgotten. If she has children, her children will be able to carry on her legacy, by telling others about her life and her stories. However, if she dies a widow, her legacy dies with her.
I don't know why this sonnet interested me so much. It reminded me slightly of Sylvia Plath's poem "Mirror", which I found interesting. I wonder if Sylvia read this sonnet, and got the idea for her mirror image from Shakespeare. But I think this poem interested me because I know a lot of girls who look like their mothers, my sister included. This sonnet makes me wonder if their moms indeed look at their daughters, and see their former lives and former beauty. Anyways, if you have any different interpretations, please feel free to comment.
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