Section I Summary

Sonnet 1: Shakespeare uses vivid imagery from nature to express his yearnings and frustrations that he cannot seem to connect emotionally with the object of his desire. He compares her to a spring bud locked inside itself, all its beauty and splendor not quite accessible on the surface but nevertheless very real.

Sonnet 2: Taking a somewhat different tack, the poet tells his beloved that she shouldn't wait too long to marry and have his child.

Sonnet 3: The poet extends his argument for marriage and motherhood by telling his beloved that her mother's image is in her ("thou art thy mother's glass"), and she has a duty to create another being as beautiful as herself. Although she is beautiful the poet says, she can't use that excuse for not having a child.

Sonnet 4: Shakespeare argues his case using a financial analogy: the beautiful woman he loves owes...