William Shakespeare‘s Sonnet 67 is a poignant reflection on beauty, nature, and the tragic implications of the decline of both. The sonnet explores themes of corruption, imitation, and the role of the artist or poet in preserving or regenerating beauty. As with many of Shakespeare’s works, the sonnet presents a subtle dialogue between artifice and nature, examining the ways in which beauty, both physical and metaphorical, is distorted and challenged by time, sin, and decay.
Shakespeare’s Sonnet 67
Ah, wherefore with infection should he live,
And with his presence grace impiety,
That sin by him advantage should achieve
And lace itself with his society?
Why should false painting imitate his cheek
And steal dead seeing of his living hue?
Why should poor beauty indirectly seek
Roses of shadow, since his rose is true?
Why should he live, now Nature bankrout is,
Beggared of blood to blush through lively veins,
For she hath no exchequer now but his,
And, proud of many, lives upon his gains?
O, him she stores, to show what wealth she had
In days long since, before these last so bad.
Structure and Tone of Sonnet 67
The poem follows the traditional structure of a Shakespearean sonnet: fourteen lines of iambic pentameter, divided into three quatrains and a final couplet. The rhyme scheme is ABAB CDCD EFEF GG, consistent with the conventional form. The poem is set in the present tense, which emphasizes the urgency and emotional immediacy of the speaker’s concerns about beauty, corruption, and nature.
The tone of the sonnet is one of lament and contemplation. The speaker mourns the fact that beauty, which should be pure and uncontaminated, is now intertwined with sin and decay. This sorrowful reflection is, however, tinged with a sense of anger and frustration, particularly directed at the forces that corrupt nature’s beauty—such as sin, imitation, and greed. There is also a touch of admiration and reverence towards the ideal beauty that once existed, though it now seems out of reach. The concluding couplet brings a sense of closure, offering a kind of resignation about the changing nature of beauty.
Analysis of Sonnet 67
Lines 1–4
“Ah, wherefore with infection should he live,
And with his presence grace impiety,
That sin by him advantage should achieve
And lace itself with his society?”
The first quatrain sets the tone of despair and frustration as the speaker addresses the idea of a beautiful figure (likely a young man or an idealized representation of beauty) being tainted by corruption. The term “infection” implies that sin, or moral corruption, is a disease that should not infect purity or beauty. The speaker asks, “Why should this beautiful figure grace impiety?” implying that the presence of beauty should not enhance or legitimize vice or moral wrongdoing. The idea that sin “by him advantage should achieve” suggests that beauty, rather than remaining an ideal to inspire virtue, is instead exploited and used to propagate falsehoods or corruption. The metaphor of sin “lacing itself with his society” invokes the image of sin tying itself to beauty, corrupting it from within.
Lines 5–8
“Why should false painting imitate his cheek
And steal dead seeing of his living hue?
Why should poor beauty indirectly seek
Roses of shadow, since his rose is true?”
In the second quatrain, the speaker continues to question the value of imitating beauty when the original beauty is real and pure. “False painting” refers to artistic imitation—perhaps referring to paintings or other forms of flattery that try to mimic natural beauty. The “cheek” is a metaphor for youthful, natural beauty, and “dead seeing” suggests that this imitation lacks the vitality of the real thing. The phrase “roses of shadow” plays on the dual meanings of “roses” as symbols of beauty and as a reference to the color of flushed cheeks (red, like a rose). The speaker laments that “poor beauty” seeks “roses of shadow,” or a pale imitation of beauty, when the original “rose is true”—that is, natural beauty exists in its pure form, untainted and unadorned by false representations.
Lines 9–12
“Why should he live, now Nature bankrout is,
Beggared of blood to blush through lively veins,
For she hath no exchequer now but his,
And, proud of many, lives upon his gains?”
In this quatrain, the speaker takes a more critical turn, accusing Nature itself of bankruptcy—”bankrout” (a variant of “bankrupt”)—as though it has run out of resources or vitality. The line “Beggared of blood to blush through lively veins” suggests that Nature can no longer produce the vibrant, youthful energy necessary to create beauty, as if it has been drained of its life force. The metaphor of the “exchequer” (a place where wealth is kept) suggests that Nature has no more wealth of its own but relies on the singular beauty of the young man (or ideal beauty) to sustain it. Nature, in this sense, is described as “proud of many” but ultimately dependent on the beauty of this one individual to survive.
Lines 13–14 (The Final Couplet)
“O, him she stores, to show what wealth she had
In days long since, before these last so bad.”
In the final couplet, the speaker concludes that Nature “stores” this individual as a living symbol of the wealth of beauty that once existed. The “wealth” is not just a physical treasure but refers to the abundance of natural beauty that once flourished, now reduced to a mere memory. The phrase “before these last so bad” suggests that this beauty belongs to an earlier, more virtuous time—perhaps referencing an idealized past or a time before corruption, decay, or the moral decline that the speaker believes has overtaken the world. There is a sense of mourning for the loss of this ideal beauty, which Nature can no longer fully replicate or produce.
Conclusion
Shakespeare’s Sonnet 67 is a deeply reflective and sorrowful exploration of beauty, corruption, and the limitations of Nature. Through the speaker’s questions and lamentations, the poem critiques the ways in which natural beauty is increasingly subsumed by sin and imitation, thus losing its original purity. In addressing these issues, the sonnet not only meditates on the transient nature of beauty but also serves as a critique of the cultural and moral forces that corrupt or distort it. Shakespeare’s use of vivid imagery and metaphors—such as “infection,” “false painting,” and “exchequer”—allows the poem to resonate with readers on multiple levels, inviting them to contemplate the intersection of beauty, virtue, and the inevitable decay that time and circumstance bring to all things.
