Point of View

The main point of view in the poem is a close first person. The sonnets are written as dialogues between a speaker and a subject to whom they are dedicated, as though the author were talking directly to someone. Who this someone is varies depending on which sonnet is being considered, but scholars have names for the different characters whom the speaker addresses (in this case, the “fair youth.”) The perspective is intimate enough that it allows readers to get a sense, not just of who the speaker is, but of who he is talking to or about.

A first-person perspective is typical for the sonnets. It’s one of the many reasons why it is easy to mistake the speaker’s voice for Shakespeare’s own, as the sonnet is written from a clear point of view that creates an impression of the speaker...