Lines 5, 6, and 7 have direct and obvious allusions to nature. Six o’clock am specifically was when the day was considered to have begun. In Shakespeare’s day, “prime” was a term that was used to reference the first hour of the day. The line is also a continuation of the time metaphor that can be found in the first line of Sonnet 12. Shakespeare uses color imagery in line 4 to further express the idea of a flower wilting. The word “sable” references the darkest brown color, which is referring to the dark hair of a man going gray. Rather than looking at nature when it is at its peak, Shakespeare looks at nature at its end. Shakespeare uses flower imagery to further push this idea of how fleeting youth can be.

Line 4 has the phrase “violet past prime,” which describes a flower wilting.

Lines 3 and 4 of the sonnet start to reference nature more directly. The first line may have allusions to clocks, which becomes a regular theme within this sonnet, but it quickly shifts in order to focus more on nature through the use of the cycle of day and night metaphor. Considering this sonnet was written before 1599, “brave” actually meant something closer to “challenging.” Shakespeare is essentially saying that youthful men have to face many challenges if they wish to accomplish procreation. Another aspect of this line in the sonnet is that “brave” does not have the same meaning as we know it today. When he says day, he is referring to the youthful years that all humans experience in their lifetime. Shakespeare starts with a balanced antithesis in line 2 where he talks about “the brave day” and “hideous night.” Of course, Shakespeare is not referring to literal day and night cycles but the cycles of life. In Sonnet 12, Shakespeare uses alliteration, metaphors, and imagery along with nature themes to present his idea of procreation to his male subject. Shakespeare doesn’t just tell this young man that but invites imagery of nature into his message to get his point across more strongly. Shakespeare is once again urging a young man to go out and procreate, even going as far as using the term “breed.” The speaker believes that men are completely wasting their lives by not having children and does not shy away from any opportunities to let them know that. Shakespeare’s Sonnet 12 follows the same idea that can be found in other sonnets such as 1 and 3.

Shakespeare sonnet 12