I'm going through the Sonnets methodically, and sharing my thoughts with you as I go. I absolutely love Shakespeare's plays, and this is the first time I'm really studying the sonnets as a whole. The first thing right out of the gate that is surprising is how pro life Shakespeare's narrator is. The persona of the poems, the voice speaking, considers not having children a crime. 

Is this a kind of existential wisdom, or is it also possibly intense flirting? 

He is saying to THIS man in particular if you do not have kids it will be a crime. 

Or, you can see it both ways: that he is using the idea as a rule in general as a chance to flirt with this object of his adoration. 

We talk about Shakespeare as being a part of a cultural Renaissance, so maybe it shouldn't be surprising that birth and reproduction is such a primary part of his material. Still, it was a bit of a surprise to me how adamant he is about the reader reproducing. 

Themes: Time and Nature as Creator and Destroyer

             Reproduction as Divine Duty and Protection Against Death

             Inevitability of Cycles of Decay and Regeneration

             Refusal to Reproduce as Shameful and Murderous

In this podcast, I look at the first four sonnets in Shakespeare's collection. 

I begin by talking about how Chad and JT were riffing about Shakespeare on their latest podcast episode. Shoutout to Joe Marresse for his cool ass reading of Hamlet's monologue.

I'm digging into the sonnets because they are a perfect form for social media. Each sonnet is about a minute to read it, so it is perfect for videos. It's also going to help me to learn the language more. 

I also discuss the form of the sonnet a little bit and iambic pentameter.

Thanks for listening. If you want to learn more, follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/becomingjakespeare/