Sonnet 147

Sonnet 147 is an extended metaphor, comparing love to a disease. It has robbed the speaker of his senses, and taken over his life. He finally realizes that he was not actually in love with her- he simply desired her. However, now he feels as though he cannot be cured, and that he will go insane. I think the theme of this sonnet is that love (or simply even attraction to other) can be blinding. In the ending couplet, the speaker comments that he thought the subject to be beautiful, but now realizes that she is “black as hell, dark as night.” He was simply so infatuated with her, that he was unable to make a correct judgment of her character.

Sonnet 146

The speaker is examining life choices in this sonnet. He realizes that it is easy to grow greedy for the material possessions in life. However, he has recognized that he will have to leave these items behind after his death; they will simply have no meaning in his eternal life. As a result, he has decided to focus on his spiritual wealth, rather than his physical wealth. The purpose of life is to enrich one’s soul to prepare for the afterlife. The way to defeat death, in his opinion, is to abandon physical desires. This sonnet is one of the later works of Shakespeare. I wonder if thoughts about his own mortality influenced his writing.

Sonnet 138

In this sonnet, the speaker describes his poor relationship with his mistress. They do not appear to be in love, as they have both have “settled” with each other. The speaker knows that his mistress is dishonest, and suspects that she may be cheating on him. Likewise, his mistress is involved with someone much older than herself, whom she probably does not find attractive. Although these are serious issues in a relationship, the pair simply chooses not to deal with them. The speaker’s mistress lies, calling the speaker a young man, and the speaker simply listens to her falsehoods. It is just easier to ignore life’s complications than to deal with them.

Sonnet 130

At first glance, it appears that the speaker is mocking his mistress. However, a closer reflection reveals that the speaker is actually mocking the other poets of his time. Poetry was frequently used as a cliché attempt to gain a woman’s attention, and (more times than not) a poet would compose verses that would falsely idolize their beloveds. The speaker in this sonnet clearly disagrees with their inaccurate descriptions. He honestly admits that his mistress is nothing spectacular. However, he feels that she is just as special as any of the other poet’s subjects. He simply chooses not to lie about her appearance and describe her as some type of goddess.

Sonnet 116

This is one of my favorite sonnets by Shakespeare. In this poem, the speaker conveys the true, unfailing nature of love. He states that love can withstand any circumstance, whether it is time or a natural disaster. I especially like the comparison of love to a star, as it is the guide to every boat, and its worth can never be measured. The speaker clearly has recognized the true, constant force of love compared to the short-lived sensation of infatuation. Love simply never changes, no matter what happens in life. The couplet which concludes the sonnet simply states that if the speaker is wrong about his beautiful description of love, no one has ever loved then.

Sonnet 94

I think this is an excellent reflection on human character. The speaker states that the best people are the ones who have the power to hurt others, but choose not to. They simply do not wish to exploit others and cause them pain, even if it would benefit them. The people the speaker describes are clearly unselfish and they will receive their reward eternally. However, in order to preserve their character, people must be careful of their actions. Everyone’s morals can be tempted, and if they succumb, they are no better than the worst criminals. The speaker clearly despises those who give a caring appearance, but are simply looking out for their own interests.

Sonnet 87

This sonnet is an attempt by the speaker to praise his beloved. He states that the subject of the sonnet is far too good for him, and that he would understand if she left him. He simply feels as though he does not deserve her. In Shakespeare’s time, this may have been a matter of money. Individuals were expected to marry within their own social class. Perhaps the woman the speaker had fallen for was wealthier than him, and he felt as though he did not have a chance with her. However, I do not believe that the speaker is being completely selfless in the sonnet. I think that he is only saying these things in order to flatter her, so she will not leave him.