The 1609 publication of Shakespeare's Sonnets raises several literary-historical questions, many of which remain unresolved, but what we do know is that most of the first 120-some sonnets appear to be addressed to a handsome young man (WH?) while the last 30 or so are about a person who has come to be known as the "Dark Ladie." And we know that the first 17 sonnets—often called the "Procreation Sonnets"—are each rhetorical addresses to the younger man, encouraging him to have children. The present podcast focuses on Sonnet #12 which offers an excellent example of Shakespeare's imagery and formal ingenuity.