Sonnet 15 : When I Consider Everything That Grows
INTRODUCTION:
One of the sonnets in the series of procreation sonnets by William Shakespeare for the Fair Youth. But unlike other procreation sonnets, sonnet 15 does not encourage the youth to procreation directly. This poet wishes to capture and immortalise the youth's beauty in this sonnet.
SONNET 15 : SUMMARY
Shakespeare analyses in the beginning of the sonnet how things grow, mutate and decay in course of time. Everything that grows will continue to grow and fade away at one point of time. As with almost all procreation sonnets, this sonnet also employs 'time' as the main theme. As this transition of things is inevitable, one day the youth's beauty will fade away for sure.
The poet believes that his verse has the power to immortalise the youth's beauty in them. Here the poet becomes a prophet. He exactly predicts the youth's beauty never declines until the people continue to study his verse. The poet in the sonnet deplores the youth's beauty fades away, but ironically it becomes immortal in his sonnets. Had the youth married and had children, his whole generation might have become extinct by now. But the youth and his beauty had been immortalised and continues to be so till today in his verse.
