Is it for fear to wet a widow’s eye,
That thou consum’st thy self in single life?
Ah! if thou issueless shalt hap to die,
The world will wail thee like a makeless wife;
The world will be thy widow and still weep
That thou no form of thee hast left behind,
When every private widow well may keep
By children’s eyes, her husband’s shape in mind:
Look what an unthrift in the world doth spend
Shifts but his place, for still the world enjoys it;
But beauty’s waste hath in the world an end,
And kept unused the user so destroys it.
No love toward others in that bosom sits
That on himself such murd’rous shame commits.
Line 1: “Is it for fear to wet a widow’s eye,”
Difficult Words Meaning:
- Wet a widow’s eye – Cause a widow to cry (through the death of her husband)
In-depth Explanation & Context:
Shakespeare begins with a rhetorical question: Are you remaining single because you fear making someone a widow?
This question sarcastically challenges the young man’s potential excuse for avoiding marriage. The poet suggests that if fear of causing grief were a valid reason to avoid marriage, no one would ever marry at all.
The irony is clear: by avoiding marriage, the young man is actually depriving the world of his legacy, which is a greater loss than a widow’s tears.
Line 2: “That thou consum’st thy self in single life?”
Difficult Words Meaning:
- Consum’st thy self – Waste yourself, destroy your potential
- Single life – A life without marriage or children
In-depth Explanation & Context:
Shakespeare accuses the young man of self-destruction. Instead of sharing his life and beauty through marriage, he wastes away in solitude.
This follows the theme of the procreation sonnets, where the poet argues that beauty should be passed on through offspring.
The word “consume” is important—it suggests wastefulness, as if the young man is burning through his own existence without leaving anything behind.
Line 3: “Ah! if thou issueless shalt hap to die,”
Difficult Words Meaning:
- Issueless – Without children
- Shalt hap to die – If you happen to die
In-depth Explanation & Context:
Here, the poet warns of the ultimate consequence: if the young man dies childless, his lineage and beauty will be lost forever.
The exclamation “Ah!” conveys urgency and disappointment—Shakespeare is frustrated at the thought of such wastefulness.
Line 4: “The world will wail thee like a makeless wife;”
Difficult Words Meaning:
- Wail thee – Mourn for you
- Makeless wife – A woman without a husband (widow)
In-depth Explanation & Context:
Shakespeare makes a dramatic comparison: the world will mourn the young man as if it were a widow mourning her dead husband.
This suggests that the young man’s death without offspring is not just a personal loss, but a tragedy for the entire world.
The phrase “makeless wife” highlights emptiness and loneliness, reinforcing the idea that his failure to leave a legacy will leave the world sorrowful.
Line 5: “The world will be thy widow and still weep”
Difficult Words Meaning:
- The world will be thy widow – The world will grieve as if it lost a husband
- Still weep – Continue mourning
In-depth Explanation & Context:
Shakespeare personifies the world as a widow, emphasizing that his absence will be deeply felt.
Instead of leaving behind children to continue his legacy, the young man’s death will create sorrow and emptiness—not just for himself, but for everyone who admired him.
Line 6: “That thou no form of thee hast left behind,”
Difficult Words Meaning:
- No form of thee – No child, no legacy
- Left behind – Nothing to continue his existence
In-depth Explanation & Context:
This line delivers a direct and harsh truth: if the young man remains childless, there will be no trace of him after death.
The poet suggests that true immortality comes through children, as they carry forward their parents’ beauty, traits, and memory.
Line 7: “When every private widow well may keep”
Difficult Words Meaning:
- Private widow – An actual widow, mourning her husband
- Well may keep – Can still hold onto something (memories, children)
In-depth Explanation & Context:
Unlike the “widow” (the world), a real widow at least has something to remember her husband by—his children.
Shakespeare contrasts the grief of the world (which will have nothing left of the young man) with the grief of a real widow, who at least has her husband’s legacy through offspring.
Line 8: “By children’s eyes, her husband’s shape in mind:”
Difficult Words Meaning:
- Children’s eyes – The faces of her children, who resemble their father
- Husband’s shape in mind – A widow remembers her husband through their children
In-depth Explanation & Context:
Here, Shakespeare provides the solution to mortality—having children.
A widow can see her late husband’s features in their children, keeping his memory alive. But if the young man remains childless, there will be no one to carry on his image.
The poet reinforces his argument that children are the only way to truly defeat death.
Line 9: “Look what an unthrift in the world doth spend”
Difficult Words Meaning:
- Unthrift – A wasteful person
- Doth spend – Uses resources foolishly
In-depth Explanation & Context:
Shakespeare now compares the young man to a reckless spender. Just as a careless person wastes their money, the young man wastes his beauty and potential by not having children.
This financial metaphor makes the argument practical—just as wise spending benefits others, wise use of beauty benefits future generations.
Line 10: “Shifts but his place, for still the world enjoys it;”
Difficult Words Meaning:
- Shifts but his place – Money changes hands but is not lost
- Still the world enjoys it – Others continue to benefit from it
In-depth Explanation & Context:
Unlike wasted beauty, money that is spent still circulates in the world.
Shakespeare suggests that if the young man had children, his beauty would simply shift to a new generation, just as wealth continues to benefit people even after it changes hands.
Line 11: “But beauty’s waste hath in the world an end,”
Difficult Words Meaning:
- Beauty’s waste – Not using beauty (not having children)
- Hath in the world an end – Eventually disappears
In-depth Explanation & Context:
Here, Shakespeare makes a grim statement—wasted beauty does not last.
Unlike money, which remains in circulation, beauty disappears forever if it is not passed down through children.
The warning is clear: without offspring, the young man’s beauty will vanish completely upon his death.
Line 12: “And kept unused the user so destroys it.”
Difficult Words Meaning:
- Kept unused – Not shared or passed on
- The user so destroys it – The one who possesses it wastes it
In-depth Explanation & Context:
This is one of Shakespeare’s strongest rebukes. The young man is not just neglecting his duty—he is actively destroying his own beauty.
By refusing to marry and have children, he is wasting his own potential, just as hoarded money eventually becomes worthless.
Line 13: “No love toward others in that bosom sits”
Difficult Words Meaning:
- No love toward others – No generosity, no care for others
- Bosom – Heart, emotions
In-depth Explanation & Context:
Shakespeare now criticizes the young man’s selfishness. By choosing self-obsession over love, he is rejecting his responsibility to others.
This is a moral argument: true love is shown through sharing and passing on what one has, whether it is affection, wisdom, or beauty.
Line 14: “That on himself such murd’rous shame commits.”
Difficult Words Meaning:
- Murd’rous shame – A terrible crime (against himself)
- Commits – Brings upon himself
In-depth Explanation & Context:
Shakespeare delivers his final blow: by choosing to die childless, the young man is committing a crime against himself.
The word “murderous” is dramatic—it implies that his refusal to have children is akin to killing his own legacy.
Final Thoughts:
Sonnet 9 argues that avoiding marriage out of fear of causing grief is illogical. Instead, true loss occurs when a person fails to leave behind a legacy. Shakespeare uses financial metaphors, widowhood imagery, and moral arguments to make his case.
Summary
In Sonnet 9, Shakespeare addresses the young man’s fear of leaving behind a widow as a reason for not marrying. The speaker argues that this fear is misguided—for if the young man dies childless, the world itself will mourn him, just as a widow mourns her lost husband.
The sonnet suggests that while an actual widow finds comfort in her children, who resemble their father, the young man’s refusal to have children means no one will be left to carry on his legacy. Instead of being mourned by a wife and children, the entire world will lament the loss of his beauty and potential.
Shakespeare then compares hoarded wealth to hoarded beauty. Money, when spent, remains in circulation and benefits others—but beauty, if left “unused” (through refusing to have children), is completely lost upon death.
The poem ends with a sharp rebuke: refusing to pass on one’s beauty through procreation is an act of selfishness and self-destruction. The speaker accuses the young man of committing a form of “murder” by denying future generations the chance to inherit his beauty.
Critical Analysis
1. The Fear of Leaving a Widow – A Misguided Excuse
The young man avoids marriage because he doesn’t want to cause sorrow to a future widow. However, Shakespeare exposes the flaw in this reasoning:
- If he remains single and dies childless, the entire world will grieve his loss.
- A widow at least has children to preserve her husband’s memory, but if the young man dies without heirs, his beauty vanishes forever.
This argument plays on the idea that one’s legacy should not end with oneself—a recurring theme in the procreation sonnets.
2. The Economic Metaphor – Wealth vs. Beauty
Shakespeare uses the concept of spending vs. hoarding:
- Wealth that is spent circulates and benefits others, just as procreation allows beauty to continue through future generations.
- Hoarded beauty (by refusing to marry and have children) is wasted forever upon death, much like money that is never used.
This comparison suggests that beauty, like wealth, is meant to be shared rather than selfishly kept.
3. The Accusation of Selfishness and “Murderous Shame”
The poem takes an increasingly critical tone as it reaches the final lines. The young man is accused of lacking love for others because he is too focused on himself.
- By refusing to have children, he kills his own lineage—a form of self-inflicted destruction.
- The phrase “murd’rous shame” implies that his inaction is as damaging as an actual crime.
Shakespeare presents self-imposed barrenness as both unnatural and shameful, reinforcing the idea that beauty and life should be perpetuated, not selfishly hoarded.
Themes
1. The Impermanence of Beauty and the Need for Procreation
- The sonnet reflects the idea that beauty is fleeting unless it is passed down through children.
- If the young man remains childless, his beauty dies with him, leaving no trace in the world.
This aligns with Shakespeare’s broader argument in the early sonnets—that procreation is the only way to achieve immortality.
2. The Responsibility to Society
- Shakespeare suggests that one’s beauty is not just a personal possession but a gift meant to be shared.
- The young man owes it to the world to reproduce, just as a widow’s grief is softened by the legacy of her children.
- His refusal to do so is framed as selfishness, rather than a noble sacrifice.
3. Wastefulness vs. Preservation
- Spending wealth vs. hoarding wealth serves as a metaphor for using beauty vs. letting it perish.
- Shakespeare argues that true value lies in circulation and continuity, not in isolation and stagnation.
4. Self-Destruction and “Murder”
- The young man’s decision to remain single is equated with self-destruction.
- By choosing not to procreate, he effectively “kills” his own beauty and potential future.
- Shakespeare presents this as a tragic and shameful choice, reinforcing the idea that life should beget life.
Literary Devices
1. Metaphor – Widowhood as the World’s Grief
- “The world will be thy widow and still weep” → The world itself is personified as a widow mourning the loss of the young man’s potential.
- Just as a widow grieves her lost husband, the world will grieve the loss of the young man’s beauty and lineage.
2. Economic Imagery – Spending vs. Hoarding
- “Look what an unthrift in the world doth spend / Shifts but his place, for still the world enjoys it” → Money that is spent continues to circulate and benefit others.
- “But beauty’s waste hath in the world an end” → Unlike money, beauty that is not used (through procreation) disappears forever.
3. Alliteration and Sound Devices
- “murd’rous shame commits” → The harsh, sharp sounds of “murd’rous” emphasize the gravity of the accusation.
- “widow’s weep” → The w sounds create a mournful, melancholic tone.
4. Personification – The World as a Mourning Widow
- The entire world is given human qualities, expressing sorrow over the young man’s wasted beauty.
- This heightens the emotional intensity, making his potential loss feel even greater.
5. Rhyme Scheme and Structure
- The sonnet follows the Shakespearean sonnet format:
- ABABCDCDEFEFGG rhyme scheme
- Iambic pentameter maintains a smooth, flowing rhythm.
The final rhyming couplet (“No love toward others…murd’rous shame commits”) delivers a forceful moral conclusion, emphasizing the young man’s selfishness.
Conclusion
Sonnet 9 challenges the young man’s fear of widowhood as an excuse for avoiding marriage. Shakespeare argues that his refusal to procreate will cause even greater sorrow—not just to a single widow, but to the entire world.
The poem’s economic metaphors emphasize that beauty, like wealth, must be used to be preserved. By remaining childless, the young man “murders” his own potential legacy, committing an act of self-destruction.
With its emotional intensity, sharp accusations, and powerful imagery, Sonnet 9 reinforces Shakespeare’s broader message: life’s gifts should be shared, not selfishly hoarded.
