Unthrifty Loveliness, Why Dost Thou Spend by William Shakespeare (Poem, Summary & Analysis)

Unthrifty Loveliness, Why Dost Thou Spend

by William Shakespeare

(Poem, Summary & Analysis)

 

In this sonnet (number 4), Shakespeare urges the young man, not to throw away, without regard, the beauty. He says, that beauty is Nature's gift, which is given to the young man on condition that it should be used to profit the world, by handing it on to future generations.

 

Unthrifty loveliness, why dost thou spend

Unthrifty loveliness, why dost thou spend

Upon thy self thy beauty's legacy?

Nature's bequest gives nothing, but doth lend,

And being frank she lends to those are free:

 

Then, beauteous niggard, why dost thou abuse

The bounteous largess given thee to give?

Profitless usurer, why dost thou use

So great a sum of sums, yet canst not live?

 

For having traffic with thy self alone,

Thou of thy self thy sweet self dost deceive:

Then how when nature calls thee to be gone,

What acceptable audit canst thou leave?

 

Thy unused beauty must be tombed with thee,

Which, used, lives th' executor to be.

 

This sonnet is as concerned with the fair youth passing on his attributes to his children as the preceding three sonnets. The poet uses money lending and inheritance as a metaphor.

Shakespeare accuses the fair youth of being frivolous. The fair youth’s beauty is used as currency in this poem and the speaker suggests that beauty should be passed onto his offspring as a kind of inheritance. The poet says, that the fair youth is a selfish character. Nature has lent him this beauty, which he should pass on – not hoard! His beauty will die with him. The sonnet is written in iambic pentameter.

Shakespeare asks the young man, why does he not pass on his beauty to the world. Nature has lent him good looks, but he is a miser and abuse the amazing gift of beauty he has been given.

The poet says, that a money lender cannot make money, if he does not pass it on. If he does business with himself, he will never reap the benefits of his riches.

Shakespeare says, this fair youth is deceiving himself. When nature takes his life, what will he leave behind? His beauty will go with him to his grave, not having been passed on to another.

The poet asks the fair youth to passed on his beauty. The metaphor of beauty as currency is employed. The poet believes that the fair youth is quite selfish and greedy and is perhaps motivated by material gains. He may die childless and have no way of continuing on his line. Through his children, he would live on, and so his beauty.