Sonnet 73 Reflection

This is a very interesting sonnet. To my knowledge it is the first time that Shakespeare really talks about himself. He admits to the young man that he himself is old, effectively using the imagery of autumn where things begin to change color and die. He talks about himself in what is quite a negative tone about his beauty and then in the ends essentially tells the young boy that he should take it as a lesson that beauty doesn’t last forever. He basically is trying to tell the young man that he should appreciate his youth and good looks while he has them, a good life lesson for anyone. It is interesting to see Shakespeare deliver his message in this way. It seems almost as though their relationship has grown into almost a father-son sort of thing where Shakespeare is trying to guard and protect the young man. His sonnets seem to have a much more personal connection at this point which is really cool to explore.