The initial quatrain of Sonnet 96 opens the debate on dissolution and debauchery, implying youthful indiscretion is the young man's only serious flaw. The first two lines of the sonnet begin in the same way, with parallel sentence structure and alliteration "Some say," which is deceptive, as the remainder of both lines one and two are contradictory. In line 1, the poet chides the young man, telling him some people see his bad behavior as a result of youth and immaturity, though there are others who believe his bad behavior is indicative of his inherent moral corruption." However, in line 2, the poet dismisses the concerns found in line 1 by characterizing the young man's youthful dalliances as a special privilege of one born to high social station." Lines 3 and 4 blend "faults and graces,"" further blurring the distinction between a moral weakness and a charming trait." By using the phrase "loved of more and less," (3) the poet suggests, with out exception, that people of all social ranks love the young man regardless of his failings. Furthermore, the young man's charm is such that it makes his failings seem even more charming." The poet emphasizes the importance of the first quatrain with the repetition of diction and punctuation, using three semi-colons and a period to announce tight end stops and by using the second person narrative. The (b) rhyme of "sport" (2) and "resort" (4) is used again in the couplet with the words "sort" and "report," bringing even more attention to the first quatrain.
The second quatrain juxtaposes inferiority with quality, suggesting that what you see is not always what you get. The poet demonstrates this idea through the metaphorical image of a "queen" (5) and a "jewel" (6) by his assertion that even an inferior jewel will appear to be of quality when it is viewed upon the noble personage of a queen." Just so an "error[s]" (7) in a charming person will seem not to be a weakness but an asset as is seen in the young...