Sonnet #12

The speaker is discussing the effects of Time, which is personified throughout the sonnet. Some examples used of passing time are violets wilting, black hair turning white, and summer's crops being cut down when the seasons change. These are all entwined with the last portion which states it's true that beauty cannot stay because Time will take control of it. There is no way to fend off "Time's scythe," which is a reference to death or the grim reaper, except to have children. This way their beauty can live on even as their parents are taken by Time. As discussed in class, the sonnet is also written to it sounds almost like a "tick-tock" as it's being read. This of course, would be symbolic of Time, which the sonnet is written about the effects of it.