Shakespeare Sonnet 99

It doesn't take long to see that flowers must have been on Shakespeare's mind during the time he wrote this.  Words like violet, lily, roses, and marjoram are all used to apparently compare the man to plant-life.  The lily for example, is "condemned for thy hand".  It's interesting in the sonnet that instead of talking about how lovely the flowers are, the speaker gives them a negative connotation.  He repeatedly calls them robbers and thieves.  The reasoning behind this seems to be that the only way they could have such beauty is by stealing it from the young man.  Certainly with all the great talk flowers get, their pride has swelled too large.  This is the kind of wonderful writing from Shakespeare that probably makes many envious of the subject but is also maybe a little too over the top with its enthusiasm...