Harmon 1

Stephen Harmon
Ms. Gardner
English 10 Honors, Period Zero
11 September 2014
Sonnet Analysis
In Sonnet 4, Mother Nature offers a bounteous amount of diverse gifts: Through
the verse, the youth must use their gift shrewdly or he will perish with his great beauty.
Shakespeare uses precise diction which supports the long and dull tone produced
throughout the poem to sketch a picture of the youth. For example, words like niggard
and deceive add life and titillation, which also reflection the youths personality. The
youth abuses his gift to the world and therefore must be punished or tombed as
Shakespeare says. Shakespeare also uses cacophonous statements and euphonious words
that help to illustrate the youths gift. For instance, sweet self is eminently a
euphonious phrase that resonates with a serene and rural sound. Throughout the poem the
blossoming youth has the gift of beauty, yet uses it for himself, instead of offering it to
the world through child production. Due to the fact that the youth resents the idea of
passing on his gift he must die with his endowment to the world. Thy unused beauty
must be tombed with thee this passage emulates this idea. In conclusion, we as humans
are all bestowed with an authentic and extraordinary gift. With this attribute we must
share it to the world and enhance it. In the sonnet Shakespeare uses beauty as a gift.
However, these gifts can be anything and are bequeath to everybody.