Synopsis
This sonnet’s message appears to be two-fold. First, the author is contemplating the fragility of life and the short life span of mankind’s ventures. Second, the author directly addresses a significant other, offering himself in exchange for the addressee, with no ulterior motives. In fact, sonnet “125 expresses unequivocally its preference for the simple”. Most likely, the addressee of this sonnet is the “Fair Youth” that is commonly featured throughout Shakespeare’s sonnets because it falls within the sequence of 1-126. Much like other sonnets from what scholars call the “Fair Youth” sequence, this one is apparently instructing the young man to consider his mortality and make the most of his life. In the final two lines, or couplet, the author suddenly addresses an unknown “subdued informer” and tells him or her that he is outside of their control.
Read more about this topic: Sonnet 125