Sonnet #7

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Sonnet #7

VII.

Lo! in the orient when the gracious light
Lifts up his burning head, each under eye
Doth homage to his new-appearing sight,
Serving with looks his sacred majesty;
And having climb'd the steep-up heavenly hill,
Resembling strong youth in his middle age,
yet mortal looks adore his beauty still,
Attending on his golden pilgrimage;
But when from highmost pitch, with weary car,
Like feeble age, he reeleth from the day,
The eyes, 'fore duteous, now converted are
From his low tract and look another way:
So thou, thyself out-going in thy noon,
Unlook'd on diest, unless thou get a son.


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[dramasnot6]

Yet another culturally loaded message in the last line of this sonnet...actually,scratch that. It is practically a universal ideal that one should bear sons to carry on one's lineage and form a sort of legacy ('thyself out-going in thy noon').
I suppose this would be a piece of Shakespeare completely devoid of controversial thought or message. It just seems to say "Well, you were great in your day, but now you're at an age where death is becoming a reality,so hurry up and get yourself a son. People are starting to talk".

Perhaps one could interpret this sonnet as being ironic, a jest at how limited society allows one to be in order to feel like one has left a 'legacy'. The only actions of yours that matter in the end are those that increase the productivity of your loins and the resulting 'fruit'.

I suppose I'm just fishing for a meaning of this sonnet that lies below the obvious,most likely in vain.