Music to hear, why hear’st thou music sadly?
Sweets with sweets war not, joy delights in joy:
Why lov’st thou that which thou receiv’st not gladly,
Or else receiv’st with pleasure thine annoy?
If the true concord of well-tuned sounds,
By unions married, do offend thine ear,
They do but sweetly chide thee, who confounds
In singleness the parts that thou shouldst bear.
Mark how one string, sweet husband to another,
Strikes each in each by mutual ordering;
Resembling sire and child and happy mother,
Who, all in one, one pleasing note do sing:
Whose speechless song being many, seeming one,
Sings this to thee: ‘Thou single wilt prove none.’
Line 1: “Music to hear, why hear’st thou music sadly?”
Difficult Words Meaning:
- Music to hear – Something pleasant or harmonious, in this case, literal music
- Why hear’st thou sadly? – Why do you listen to music with sadness?
In-depth Explanation & Context:
Shakespeare begins this sonnet by addressing the young man directly. The rhetorical question asks why someone, who is metaphorically compared to beautiful music, listens to actual music with sadness.
This suggests that music is meant to bring joy, just as beauty and youth should be celebrated. However, the young man’s sadness hints at his refusal to embrace love, marriage, and procreation—the main themes of the procreation sonnets.
The poet might also be implying that the music reminds the young man of his loneliness, just as Shakespeare has continually reminded him of his duty to continue his lineage.
Line 2: “Sweets with sweets war not, joy delights in joy:”
Difficult Words Meaning:
- Sweets with sweets war not – Sweet things do not fight with each other
- Joy delights in joy – Happiness increases with more happiness
In-depth Explanation & Context:
Here, Shakespeare uses a natural principle to make his argument: harmony exists in things that belong together. Sweet things (like sugar and honey) do not clash with each other, and joy naturally attracts more joy.
This implies that music should bring happiness to a beautiful young man, just as love and family should be embraced rather than rejected. The poet suggests that the young man is denying himself the natural joys of life, which goes against nature’s harmony.
Line 3: “Why lov’st thou that which thou receiv’st not gladly,”
Difficult Words Meaning:
- Lov’st – Love
- Receiv’st not gladly – Do not accept with happiness
In-depth Explanation & Context:
Shakespeare questions why the young man loves music yet does not enjoy it. This could symbolize his relationship with love and procreation—he may admire romance and family life from a distance, but he does not engage with them.
The poet implies that his rejection of love is unnatural, much like a person enjoying music but feeling sad while listening to it.
Line 4: “Or else receiv’st with pleasure thine annoy?”
Difficult Words Meaning:
- Receiv’st with pleasure – Accept happily
- Thine annoy – Your own suffering
In-depth Explanation & Context:
Shakespeare suggests that the young man may actually take pleasure in his own sadness, as if he chooses loneliness over happiness. The contradiction in this line is key—why would anyone embrace sorrow over joy?
This strengthens the poet’s argument: the young man’s refusal to marry and have children is a form of self-inflicted misery.
Line 5: “If the true concord of well-tuned sounds,”
Difficult Words Meaning:
- True concord – Perfect harmony
- Well-tuned sounds – Musical notes that are properly arranged
In-depth Explanation & Context:
Here, Shakespeare begins a metaphor comparing music to family relationships. Just as a well-tuned instrument produces harmony, a family (father, mother, and child) creates balance and unity.
By rejecting marriage and children, the young man is denying himself the harmony that comes from being part of something greater—just as an instrument that refuses to play its part would create discord.
Line 6: “By unions married, do offend thine ear,”
Difficult Words Meaning:
- Unions married – Notes joined together in harmony
- Do offend thine ear – Sound unpleasant to you
In-depth Explanation & Context:
If harmonious music sounds unpleasant to the young man, it suggests that he rejects the idea of union or family. The word “married” is important—it reinforces Shakespeare’s central message that marriage and unity are natural and beneficial.
The poet subtly suggests that the young man’s discomfort with harmony (both musical and familial) is unnatural and self-destructive.
Line 7: “They do but sweetly chide thee, who confounds”
Difficult Words Meaning:
- Sweetly chide – Gently scold
- Confounds – Ruins, or causes disorder
In-depth Explanation & Context:
Shakespeare proposes that the music is not actually offensive—instead, it gently rebukes the young man for his unnatural state of singleness.
The poet accuses him of confusing the natural order by refusing to participate in love and family life. Just as music sounds incomplete without harmony, his life is incomplete without marriage and children.
Line 8: “In singleness the parts that thou shouldst bear.”
Difficult Words Meaning:
- Singleness – Being alone (unmarried, childless)
- Parts that thou shouldst bear – The role he is meant to play
In-depth Explanation & Context:
Shakespeare argues that just as each musical note has a role, so too does each person in life. The young man’s refusal to play his part (by marrying and having children) means he is denying the world the harmony he could contribute.
Line 9: “Mark how one string, sweet husband to another,”
Difficult Words Meaning:
- Mark – Observe, pay attention
- Sweet husband – A loving partner (referring to musical harmony)
In-depth Explanation & Context:
The poet now shifts fully into a musical metaphor for marriage. Just as two strings on an instrument work together to create beautiful harmony, so too do a husband and wife in creating a family.
This reinforces the theme that love, marriage, and unity are natural and desirable.
Line 10: “Strikes each in each by mutual ordering;”
Difficult Words Meaning:
- Strikes each in each – Vibrate together in harmony
- Mutual ordering – Working together in balance
In-depth Explanation & Context:
Strings on a musical instrument do not function alone—they create harmony by working together. This mirrors the family unit, where love and cooperation create stability and joy.
Shakespeare implies that the young man, by choosing solitude, is disrupting nature’s order.
Line 11: “Resembling sire and child and happy mother,”
Difficult Words Meaning:
- Sire – Father
- Happy mother – Joyful wife and mother
In-depth Explanation & Context:
Shakespeare explicitly states the comparison: music and family follow the same principle of harmony. Just as musical notes must work together, so too must a father, mother, and child.
By rejecting this natural order, the young man risks an incomplete and unfulfilled life.
Line 12: “Who, all in one, one pleasing note do sing:”
Difficult Words Meaning:
- All in one – United together
- One pleasing note – Harmony, unity
In-depth Explanation & Context:
Shakespeare emphasizes that harmony comes from unity. The father, mother, and child together create a single, beautiful song—a metaphor for a well-balanced and meaningful life.
This reinforces the message that true fulfillment comes from relationships, not solitude.
Line 13: “Whose speechless song being many, seeming one,”
Difficult Words Meaning:
- Speechless song – Music, which conveys emotion without words
- Being many, seeming one – Multiple parts creating a single harmonious whole
In-depth Explanation & Context:
Just as many musical notes form one song, a family is made of individuals who together create something greater than themselves.
This contrasts with the young man’s solitary existence, which lacks this harmony and meaning.
Line 14: “Sings this to thee: ‘Thou single wilt prove none.’”
Difficult Words Meaning:
- Wilt prove none – Will amount to nothing, or leave no legacy
In-depth Explanation & Context:
Shakespeare’s final warning is blunt: if the young man remains single and childless, he will ultimately leave nothing behind.
His beauty and legacy will vanish with his death, just as a song ceases to exist once its notes are no longer played.
Final Thoughts:
Sonnet 8 is a musical argument for love, marriage, and procreation. Shakespeare compares family life to a well-tuned instrument, suggesting that harmony comes from unity—and that remaining single disrupts nature’s balance.
Summary
In Sonnet 8, Shakespeare continues his argument in the procreation sonnets, urging the young man to marry and have children. The poem uses the metaphor of music to emphasize harmony, unity, and the importance of family.
Shakespeare begins by questioning why the young man listens to music with sadness. Since harmony should bring joy, not sorrow, he wonders why the young man finds music unsettling rather than delightful. The speaker suggests that the harmonious sounds of music reflect the natural order of life—a balance of multiple parts working together in unity, just like a family.
The poem argues that singleness disrupts this harmony. Just as music consists of different notes blending together, a person should contribute to the harmony of life by marrying and producing heirs. The young man’s rejection of marriage is like a single note refusing to blend with others, making the melody incomplete.
The final couplet delivers a strong warning: by remaining single, the young man will ultimately amount to nothing, as his legacy will die with him.
Critical Analysis
1. Music as a Metaphor for Marriage and Procreation
Shakespeare uses music as a central metaphor, comparing a harmonious melody to a loving family:
- Just as multiple notes create harmony, a family consists of a father, mother, and child working in unity.
- The young man’s singleness disrupts this natural order, just as an out-of-place note ruins a melody.
- Music, when properly composed, mirrors the balance and continuity of life, which Shakespeare argues should include procreation.
The young man’s sadness while listening to music suggests a subconscious awareness of his own isolation—his refusal to marry and have children prevents him from contributing to life’s greater harmony.
2. The Critique of Selfishness
The sonnet subtly critiques the young man’s self-indulgence and resistance to marriage. By rejecting the natural harmony of family life, he is like a discordant note in a symphony, disrupting the intended order of nature.
Shakespeare suggests that love, joy, and harmony naturally go together—so the young man’s sadness reveals an internal conflict. His reluctance to marry contradicts the laws of nature and beauty.
3. The Warning Against Isolation
The final line—“Thou single wilt prove none”—delivers a powerful message:
- If the young man remains single, he will become nothing—his beauty, name, and legacy will vanish with his death.
- In contrast, those who marry and have children extend themselves through their descendants.
This fear of oblivion is a recurring theme in Shakespeare’s sonnets, reinforcing the idea that procreation is the only way to achieve immortality.
Themes
1. The Necessity of Harmony in Life
Shakespeare argues that life functions best when all parts work together in harmony—just like a musical composition.
- Marriage and family life create balance—each person plays a role, just as different musical notes work together to form a melody.
- The young man’s refusal to marry goes against this natural order, making him a disharmonious, incomplete figure.
2. The Transience of Beauty and the Need for Legacy
A major theme in Shakespeare’s procreation sonnets is the idea that beauty fades unless it is preserved through children.
- The young man’s beauty is fleeting, but a child would carry his essence forward.
- If he remains single, his beauty and legacy die with him—just like a song that is never played again.
3. Isolation vs. Unity
The sonnet highlights the contrast between singleness and unity:
- Marriage and family life create fulfillment, like a harmonious musical chord.
- Isolation leads to emptiness and nothingness, as reflected in the final line.
Shakespeare implies that happiness and fulfillment come from contributing to something greater than oneself—rejecting this leads to sadness and irrelevance.
Literary Devices
1. Metaphor – Music as a Symbol of Marriage and Family
- “Music to hear, why hear’st thou music sadly?” → Music symbolizes the harmony of life and love, yet the young man does not embrace it.
- “Mark how one string, sweet husband to another, / Strikes each in each by mutual ordering” → Strings symbolize family members working in harmony.
2. Personification
- “Sweets with sweets war not, joy delights in joy” → Shakespeare gives joy and sweetness human qualities, reinforcing that happiness naturally belongs with happiness.
- “They do but sweetly chide thee, who confounds / In singleness the parts that thou shouldst bear.” → Music “chides” the young man for his refusal to embrace marriage and family.
3. Alliteration and Assonance
- “Sweets with sweets war not, joy delights in joy” → The repetition of “s” and “j” sounds creates a musical effect.
- “Whose speechless song being many, seeming one” → The “s” sounds reinforce the theme of unity and harmony.
4. Contrast (Antithesis)
- Joy vs. Sadness → The speaker is puzzled by the young man’s sadness while listening to joyful music.
- Singleness vs. Unity → The young man’s singleness is contrasted with the harmonious unity of a family.
5. Rhyme Scheme and Structure
The sonnet follows the traditional Shakespearean sonnet structure:
- 14 lines
- ABABCDCDEFEFGG rhyme scheme
- Iambic pentameter → The rhythm mimics the flow of music, reinforcing the poem’s theme.
Conclusion
Sonnet 8 uses the metaphor of music to emphasize the importance of marriage and procreation. Shakespeare argues that life, like music, is meant to be harmonious—yet the young man’s refusal to marry makes him a discordant note in the symphony of life.
The poem warns that by staying single, the young man will “prove none”—his beauty and influence will disappear when he dies. Through imagery, contrast, and personification, Shakespeare presents family life as the key to happiness and immortality.
