Shakespeare Sonnet 1, Text, Line by Line Explanation, Summary, Symbols

Shakespeare Sonnet: 1
From Fairest Creatures We Desire Increase

From fairest creatures we desire increase,

That thereby beauty’s rose might never die,

But as the riper should by time decease,

His tender heir might bear his memory;

But thou, contracted to thine own bright eyes,

Feed’st thy light’s flame with self-substantial fuel,

Making a famine where abundance lies,

Thyself thy foe, to thy sweet self too cruel.

Thou that art now the world’s fresh ornament

And only herald to the gaudy spring,

Within thine own bud buriest thy content,

And, tender churl, mak’st waste in niggarding.

   Pity the world, or else this glutton be,

   To eat the world’s due, by the grave and thee.

Line-by-Line Explanation

1. "From fairest creatures we desire increase,"

→ We want beautiful people to have children.

2. "That thereby beauty’s rose might never die,"

→ So that beauty will live on and not disappear.

3. "But as the riper should by time decease,"

→ But as people grow old, they die.

4. "His tender heir might bear his memory;"

→ A child can keep the parent’s beauty and memory alive.

5. "But thou, contracted to thine own bright eyes,"

→ But you only love yourself and your own good looks.

6. "Feed’st thy light’s flame with self-substantial fuel,"

→ You only feed your beauty with yourself, not sharing it.

7. "Making a famine where abundance lies,"

→ You create emptiness where there could be lots of beauty.

8. "Thyself thy foe, to thy sweet self too cruel."

→ You are your own enemy by being unkind to yourself.

9. "Thou that art now the world’s fresh ornament"

→ Right now, you are the most beautiful thing in the world.

10. "And only herald to the gaudy spring,"

→ You are like the first sign of a bright spring season.

11. "Within thine own bud buriest thy content,"

→ But you hide your beauty inside yourself like a flower that won’t open.

12. "And, tender churl, mak’st waste in niggarding."

→ You are kindly rude, wasting your gifts by keeping them to yourself.

13. "Pity the world, or else this glutton be,"

→ Feel sorry for the world or be greedy.

14. "To eat the world’s due, by the grave and thee."

→ Don’t take your beauty to the grave—share it before you die.

Simple Summary:

Shakespeare tells a beautiful young man that he should have children to pass on his beauty. If he doesn’t, his beauty will die with him. By being selfish and not sharing his beauty, he is hurting himself and the world. He should not waste his gift—he should give it to the next generation.

 Symbol Used:

"Beauty’s rose" – Beauty itself (symbol of youth, freshness, and life).

"Flame" – The inner light or energy (his beauty and life).

"Spring" – Youth and the beginning of life.

"Bud" – Potential beauty that has not yet blossomed (he is not using his gift).

"Grave" – Death; end of life and beauty if nothing is passed on.

Figures of Speech (One by One):

1. Metaphor:

"Beauty’s rose" – Compares beauty to a rose.

"Feed’st thy light’s flame" – Compares beauty to a burning light.

"Within thine own bud buriest thy content" – Compares a person’s hidden potential to a flower that won’t bloom.

2. Personification:

"Beauty’s rose might never die" – Beauty is spoken of as if it can live and die like a person.

3. Paradox:

"Making a famine where abundance lies" – The person is full of beauty but still creates emptiness by not sharing.

4. Antithesis:

"Thyself thy foe" – You are your own enemy.

Shows the contrast between love for self and harm to self.

5. Alliteration:

"Feed’st thy light’s flame with self-substantial fuel" – Repetition of the “f” sound.

"Making a famine where abundance lies" – Repetition of “f” and “l”.

6. Irony:

The man is beautiful and kind ("tender"), yet he's called a "churl" (rude, miserly) for keeping his beauty to himself.