Sonnet 1

In this sonnet, the speaker encourages the reader to have children. However, the speaker only encourages to him to do so out of vanity. It seems that the only reason the reader should have children is because he is beautiful, and he needs to pass on his good looks. In a way, children are a way to live on, even after one's death. I think it is interesting that the poet only talks about the vain advantages of parenthood. He never comments about loving one's children or how they can bring joy to a person's life. Instead, he simply encourages procreation as another way to show off one's beauty. Personally, I think this is a very shallow reason to become a parent.