Theme:      Paragon of Beauty
Content:    An unusual use by Shakespeare of mythological characters to describe how the subject's beauty betters these characters as well as nature.

• This first quatrain suggests that the subject is made not of this earth, perhaps heavenly.
• The millions of strange shadows are represented in the many words that contain the word on in the sonnet. There seems to be deliberate use of words such as Adonis, constant and especially foison (where Autumn could suffice) to drive the multitudinous suggestion of millions. Equally, shadows are shadowed by words like shade, show and shape.
• The return of shadows as in previous sonnets as a means of portraying the subject's worth as the original article and all others as shadows or counterfeits.

• The reference to both Adonis and Helen recalls the line "Thou art thy mother's glass, and she in thee" of Sonnet 3, confirming this sonnet to be about the Young Man as was Sonnet 3.
• Adonis means "lord" which correlates with the material in the other sonnets that suggests the subject is a Lord.
• This all confirms the all external grace of the subject who has both male and female beauty.
• The fact that the female reference is to Helen, not the expected Venus, indicates that the female is not a lover of the male subject, e.g. is his mother.

• The subject is likened to the beauty of spring which is but a shadow of the subject; and the abundant harvest of Autumn.
• Again, the subject is all external grace: both Spring and Autumn.
• beauty morphs to bounty which morphs to blessed, a further example of shadowing.

• Nothing can be compared to the subject for constancy of heart/love.
• The question in Q1 is now answered: the subject's substance is a constant heart.