Sonnet 116
Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Admit impediments. Love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds
Or bends with the remover to remove.
O, no, it is an ever-fixed mark
That looks on tempests and is never shaken;
It is the star to every wand'ring bark,
Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken.
Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
Within his bending sickle's compass come;
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
But bears it out even to the edge of doom.
If this be error, and upon me proved,
I never writ, nor no man ever loved.
Introduction
Sonnet 116 beautifully puts into words how true love does not change or end when it faces hardship. It is an “ever-fixed mark” that withstands the test of time. It is sweet to me how openly he uses “love,” describing what it is and what it isn’t. The love that this reminds me of in my life is my family’s. My love for my parents and siblings has been constant throughout my life. I can count on them like a “wand’ring bark” can count on “the star.” When he writes that love doesn’t change with time’s “brief hours and weeks,” it reminds me of how time goes by fast, but with love in your life it does not matter. The poem puts complex concepts into simple words that prompt me to appreciate the people I love in my life.
Analysis
Shakespeare’s Sonnet 116 describes how true love can last through the tests of time. The sestet of this sonnet is full of imagery and personification that help to convey the main idea in a way that connects to the readers. It begins by personifying time and love: “Love’s not Time’s fool.” Personification is also used through pronouns; “his” is used repeatedly to express that time possesses materials as a human does. The capitalization of “Time” and “Love” shows the importance of both, and how they are shown with human qualities like strength and sense. Shakespeare’s choice to personify love and time makes them seem like real things and emphasizes the idea that they are important concepts with unique qualities. Shakespeare also uses imagery to build this point consistently throughout the sestet. When describing the features of a face, he calls them: “rosy lips and cheeks.” He references aging by explaining how the features fall victim to time’s “bending sickle’s compass,” which is an elaborate way of talking about Father Time, the personification of time, and his scythe. The imagery to describe it uses a lighthearted feel to match the tone of the rest of the sonnet. Shakespeare refers to forever as “to the edge of doom,” using an exaggeration to convey the point that love is everlasting. The ending couplet is an important moment where the speaker brings himself back to the present, promising truth in what he said, which encourages the audience to completely grasp the message. Sonnet 116’s sestet is rich with imagery and personification which relay the beautiful message that love’s power is greater than the boundaries of time.