Shakespeare's Sonnets, Sonnet 3 summary
Sonnet 3 of 154 · 1 min to read the scene
In Sonnet 3, the speaker urges a young man to look at his reflection and have a child, arguing that refusing parenthood deprives others as well as himself. The young man’s resemblance to his mother supports the claim that children preserve a parent’s youthful image against age and death.
What happens
- The speaker tells the young man to examine his reflection and recognize that the time for having a child is now.
- The speaker argues that refusing parenthood cheats the world and denies a woman motherhood.
- Questions about marriage and self-love challenge the young man’s resistance to continuing his family.
- The speaker presents the young man as a reflection through which his mother recalls her youth.
- The speaker contrasts seeing youth preserved in a child with dying childless and losing one’s image.
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In this scene
What to notice
The mother’s experience gives a concrete example of youth preserved through a child. It supports the speaker’s appeal to the young man.
Quick check
How does the speaker describe the young man’s relationship to his mother?
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