Remix Project: Shakespeare's Sonnets

For the Remix Project, I chose to use the Cut Up Machine (available at http://www.languageisavirus.com/cutupmachine.html to “re-mix” the first five sonnets of William Shakespeare. Although the tone and specifics of the sonnets varied, I identified beauty as being an overarching theme when the sonnets were presented in their original form. I wanted to see how the theme changed once the passage was scrambled.
Once remixed, I organized the sonnets so that their form would be accommodating to the messages which I saw in them. I left all original punctuation intact, however.
I have presented each sonnet here in its original form followed by the cut up in its raw form, and then the cut up in its organized, final re-mix version. I have limited my analysis strictly to the re-mixed versions; however, readers are free to alter my interpretation, add their own, and draw connections between the original sonnets and the re-mixes if they choose.

Sonnet 1

FROM fairest creatures we desire increase,
That thereby beauty's rose might never die,
But as the riper should by time decease,
His tender heir might bear his memory:
But thou, contracted to thine own bright eyes,
Feed'st thy light'st flame with self-substantial fuel,
Making a famine where abundance lies,
Thyself thy foe, to thy sweet self too cruel.
Thou that art now the world's fresh ornament
And only herald to the gaudy spring,
Within thine own bud buriest thy content
And, tender churl, makest waste in niggarding.
Pity the world, or else this glutton be,
To eat the world's due, by the grave and thee.


Sonnet 1 Cut

desire thy might as else else eat churl, to flame in the the a as the eat sweet grave bear famine the world's and glutton the his by famine foe, world's thou, as might in bear the and bud glutton thy or makest contracted ornament And thy his world, increase, That self-substantial thou, gaudy spring, Within should bright bud desire contracted memory: But flame be, To as bud own waste fresh thy self to buriest world, spring, Within thou, bud this world's eat From riper fuel, Making world, own own rose eyes, Feed'st self-substantial should desire by fuel, Making bright world's

Sonnet 1 Organized and Explained

desire thy might as else else eat churl,
to flame

in the the a as the

eat sweet grave
bear famine the world's and glutton the his by famine foe,
world's thou, as might in bear the and bud glutton
thy or makest contracted ornament

And thy his world, increase, That self-substantial thou, gaudy spring,
Within should bright bud desire contracted memory:
But flame be, To as bud own waste fresh
thy self to buriest world,

spring, Within thou,
bud this world's eat From riper fuel,
Making world, own own rose eyes,
Feed'st self-substantial should desire by fuel,
Making bright world's


This first sonnet turns into a series of disconnected thoughts and images. The created third line, which reads, “in the the a as the, ” represents the image of the flame which is mentioned in the second line. The third stanza is clustered together because the created lines seem to focus on a wide spectrum of world problems: gluttony, famine, and death. The last stanza returns to a positive tone, as the line “spring, Within thou,” sets the pace for a positive awakening, as the stanza continues by employing natural imagery related to new birth (“bud”, “rose”) and the last two lines seem to regard self-sufficiency as a means of improving the world around us: “Feed’s self-substantial…/Making bright world’s”


Sonnet 2

When forty winters shall beseige thy brow,
And dig deep trenches in thy beauty's field,
Thy youth's proud livery, so gazed on now,
Will be a tatter'd weed, of small worth held:
Then being ask'd where all thy beauty lies,
Where all the treasure of thy lusty days,
To say, within thine own deep-sunken eyes,
Were an all-eating shame and thriftless praise.
How much more praise deserved thy beauty's use,
If thou couldst answer 'This fair child of mine
Shall sum my count and make my old excuse,'
Proving his beauty by succession thine!
This were to be new made when thou art old,
And see thy blood warm when thou feel'st it cold.



Sonnet 2 Cut

of trenches of all-eating where thou child within mine Shall winters of an a trenches thou in the being my worth beauty's thy beauty weed, art feel'st were own beauty's in field, Thy thou being thy excuse,' Proving lusty now, Will held: Then mine Shall thy in of in thy the youth's own child tatter'd praise and youth's say, thine! This praise deserved it in a the succession count new when his thou so days, To weed, thy within beauty's lies, Where tatter'd ask'd lusty my small see mine Shall praise on old, And excuse,' Proving lies, Where thou lies, Where be beauty's an gazed sum dig new blood now, Will deserved my worth and his

Sonnet 2 Organized and Explained

of trenches of all-eating
where thou child within mine
Shall winters of an a trenches thou in the being my worth
beauty's thy beauty weed,
art feel'st were own beauty's in field,
Thy thou being thy excuse,' Proving lusty now, Will held: Then mine Shall thy in of
in thy the youth's own child tatter'd praise and youth's say, thine!
This praise deserved it in a the succession count new when his thou so days,
To weed, thy within beauty's lies,
Where tatter'd ask'd lusty my small see mine Shall praise on old, And excuse,'
Proving lies, Where thou lies, Where be beauty's an gazed sum dig new blood now, Will deserved my worth and his


The cut up version of Sonnet 2 also places strong emphasis on the nature theme, just as the cut up of Sonnet 1 did. Line five summarizes this undertone of nature: “art feel’st were own beauty’s in field.” The weed is also referred to directly as an object of beauty. This is especially conveyed in line four: “beauty’s thy beauty weed.” Line nine speaks directly to this as well: “To weed, thy within beauty lies.” Although unpolished, line ten mentions things which are still highly regarded yet not pristine: “Where tatter’d,” the line says, “…Shall praise on old…” This too seems perhaps to refer to the weed and the fact that while weeds are not as well kept as well-maintained grass, for instance, they still contain beauty.


Sonnet 3

Look in thy glass, and tell the face thou viewest
Now is the time that face should form another;
Whose fresh repair if now thou not renewest,
Thou dost beguile the world, unbless some mother.
For where is she so fair whose unear'd womb
Disdains the tillage of thy husbandry?
Or who is he so fond will be the tomb
Of his self-love, to stop posterity?
Thou art thy mother's glass, and she in thee
Calls back the lovely April of her prime:
So thou through windows of thine age shall see
Despite of wrinkles this thy golden time.
But if thou live, remember'd not to be,
Die single, and thine image dies with thee.

Sonnet 3 Cut

tomb Of she dost image lovely thee. image husbandry? Or remember'd he is if thy thee. and the time she the of unear'd womb Disdains time. But thou and thine dies thy fond live, is fond shall the tell self-love, that form unbless with in of the will thou mother's fresh April the in if and is fond windows his unbless tillage he self-love, thou so who time. But beguile tillage the fresh mother's repair womb Disdains shall the be thou through the be, Die self-love, if now live, thy of is face his lovely face she back mother's thy thee. and of fresh stop who she self-love, image

Sonnet 3 Organized and Explained

tomb Of she
dost image lovely thee.
image husbandry?
Or remember'd he is if thy thee.

and the time she the of unear'd womb Disdains time.
But thou and thine dies

thy fond live, is fond shall the tell self-love, that form unbless with in of the will thou mother's fresh April the in if and is fond windows his unbless tillage he self-love, thou so who time.
But beguile tillage the fresh mother's repair womb

Disdains shall the be thou through the be,
Die self-love, if now live, thy of is face his lovely face she back mother's thy thee.
and of fresh stop who she

self-love, image


This arrangement was chosen due to the fact that this re-mix lends itself to rhyme. The first stanza uses startling imagery of memories encapsulated in time: “tomb Of she/Or remmeber’d he is if thy thee.” The second stanza seems to say that the memory fades if the tomb is unsealed, as it “Disdains time” and the fact that “thou and thine dies.” The separation of the last line “self-love, image” from the rest of the text seems not to make a specific claim about the outcome and results of self-love as says that love relates also to the self and to personal matters. It shows that self-love influences and is influenced by the people around us.


Sonnet 4

Unthrifty loveliness, why dost thou spend
Upon thyself 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 thyself alone,
Thou of thyself 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 tomb'd with thee,
Which, used, lives th' executor to be.

Sonnet 4 Cut

dost legacy? Nature's thou live? For niggard, with sum abuse The leave? Thy lives tomb'd dost live? For thee, Which, thyself bounteous bequest thou thou yet to why bequest but a leave? Thy thyself thyself lend, And leave? Thy use So why being self a canst when leave? Thy niggard, to must largess deceive. Then when canst th' traffic thou thyself dost bequest deceive. Then dost lives largess acceptable to beauty deceive. Then thee, Which, thou abuse The doth dost to not sum thee to she be live? For yet thou sums, deceive. Then acceptable bounteous be legacy? Nature's legacy? Nature's why to not given used, thou sum

Sonnet 4 Organized and Explained

dost legacy?

Nature's thou live?
For niggard, with sum abuse The leave?
Thy lives tomb'd dost live?
For thee, Which, thyself bounteous bequest thou thou yet to why bequest but a leave?
Thy thyself thyself lend, And leave?
Thy use So why being self a canst when leave?

Thy niggard, to must largess deceive.
Then when canst th' traffic thou thyself dost bequest deceive.
Then dost lives largess acceptable to beauty deceive.
Then thee, Which, thou abuse The doth dost to not sum thee to she be live?
For yet thou sums, deceive.

Then acceptable bounteous be legacy? Nature's legacy? Nature's why to not given used, thou sum


This re-mix is organized like so due to the fact that so many questions are posed in the sonnet. Nature contains superfluous beauty, according to the last lines of this re-mix. The implication of the word legacy is that nature, throughout time, is known for it’s beauty. The way that this poem is organized, the second stanza considers nature and the beauty which it contains. The third stanza serves as a buffer, but the fourth stanza reaffirms that nature contains superfluous beauty.


Sonnet 5

Those hours, that with gentle work did frame
The lovely gaze where every eye doth dwell,
Will play the tyrants to the very same
And that unfair which fairly doth excel:
For never-resting time leads summer on
To hideous winter and confounds him there;
Sap cheque'd with frost and lusty leaves quite gone,
Beauty o'ersnow'd and bareness every where:
Then, were not summer's distillation left,
A liquid prisoner pent in walls of glass,
Beauty's effect with beauty were bereft,
Nor it nor no remembrance what it was:
But flowers distill'd though they with winter meet,
Leese but their show; their substance still lives sweet.

Sonnet 5 Cut

lovely lusty no flowers time which lusty work distillation fairly lovely on To no on To what gone, Beauty very did time work doth glass, Beauty's leaves distillation bareness o'ersnow'd there; Sap and leads was: But quite show; hideous winter play pent substance never-resting cheque'd left, A o'ersnow'd still and excel: For doth but confounds beauty it confounds bareness leaves that but there; Sap it bereft, Nor though not him liquid every with play though time summer gaze excel: For with pent never-resting was: But winter no distillation bareness quite same And where: Then, was: But lovely did doth cheque'd o'ersnow'd eye which pent where frame The

Sonnet 5 Organized and Explained

lovely lusty
no flowers
time which lusty work
distillation fairly lovely
on To no on To what gone,

Beauty very did time work doth glass,
Beauty's leaves distillation

bareness o'ersnow'd there;
Sap and leads was: But quite show;
hideous winter play pent substance
never-resting cheque'd left,
A o'ersnow'd still and excel:

For doth but confounds beauty
it confounds bareness leaves that
but there; Sap it bereft,
Nor though not him liquid every with play though time summer gaze excel:
For with pent never-resting was:
But winter no distillation bareness quite same And where: Then, was:

But lovely did doth cheque'd o'ersnow'd eye which pent where frame The


I felt that these lines could be separated into two topics. These lines discuss both beauty and natural elements which seem to lack the emotion which is here portrayed as being so positive. In the Sonnet 2 Remix, beauty was connected to nature; specifically, weeds. Here, in contrast, beauty is not connected to such things: line two of the first stanza simply reads, “no flowers.” In the fourth stanza, the first three lines read, “For doth but confounds beauty/it confounds bareness leaves that but there…”


The works of William Shakespeare are in the public domain and are free for use, and I located Sonnets 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 on the internet via the following links:
http://shakespeare.mit.edu/Poetry/sonnet.I.html
http://shakespeare.mit.edu/Poetry/sonnet.II.html
http://shakespeare.mit.edu/Poetry/sonnet.III.html
http://shakespeare.mit.edu/Poetry/sonnet.IV.html
http://shakespeare.mit.edu/Poetry/sonnet.V.html