Sonnet 116

William Shakespeare is no stranger to anyone interested in English Literature. While identified as one of the greatest playwrights and poets in the English literary tradition, not many people know that Shakespeare was a regular rule-breaker when it came to the Sonnet form. So much so, that the way he wrote them would later be identified as the 'Shakespearean Sonnet.'

Here, we look at one of his famous sonnets which, according to literary scholar Dympna Callaghan, is the most popular to read at weddings – 'Sonnet 116'.¹

'Sonnet 116': analysis

Before delving into the analysis, take a look at the overview details of Shakespeare's 'Sonnet 116':

William Shakespeare's 'Sonnet 116': context

William Shakespeare is credited to have written a total of 154 Sonnets. When the sonnet form was first translated into English, the dominant theme across the translated sonnets was love, giving the impression that sonnets are, in essence, love poems. While this is not strictly true, since sonnets have broached numerous themes and ideas, 'Sonnet 116' is, indeed, all about love.

Shakespeare is a rule-breaker, as he not only changes the form of the Petrarchan sonnet; he also changes the subject matter. Out of all the 154 sonnets he wrote, 126 are quite intimate in tone and are dedicated to a young male lover, Mr W. H.

Opinion on Shakespeare's sexual orientation remains divided among scholars, but it is largely these sonnets that support the idea that Shakespeare may have been sexually attracted to a man.

The interpretation that 'Sonnet 116' may demonstrate the speaker's homoerotic feelings has added to its popularity. The use of the word 'marriage' in its opening line, and its focus on the question of love, also makes it an ideal poem to read at weddings or to one's lover.

The poem is remarkable in the conviction and passion in the speaker's tone as they set out to define and confirm their faith in love, and it is this exploration into what love means and what it does to people that lends universality to the poem.

Many people can identify with this desire to seek out love and understand it, reflecting the universal nature of themes and topics that can be found in all of the Shakespearean texts.

'Sonnet 116': summary

Most of Shakespeare's sonnets begin by posing a question or problem, concluding with an answer or solution to the problem. In the case of 'Sonnet 116,' Shakespeare presents the idea that true love is enduring and not easily changed by storms weathered.

The poem begins with the speaker submitting to the idea of true love, to which he allows no obstacles or hindrances in 'the marriage of true minds' (1).

Comparing love to the constant presence of the North Star, the speaker comments on the immortal nature of love, claiming that death cannot conquer or defeat love.

Towards the end of the poem, the speaker admits to their own presence, claiming that if they are wrong about the unchanging, unconditional nature of love, then they have never written a single word (a fact that is evidently untrue) and no one has known love.

Fig. 1 - The use of the 'alter' evokes the idea of a church altar, where a couple makes their vows and marries.

'Sonnet 116': form and structure

Shakespeare breaks from the traditional Petrarchan sonnet, which is usually broken up into an octave (8 lines) and a sestet (6 lines), with the volta (turn in the idea or tone of the poem) before the sestet.

Shakespeare, however, writes this sonnet as 3 quatrains (a stanza with 4 lines) with a rhyming couplet at the end and the volta just before the couplet.

In the first 12 lines, the speaker elucidates their idea of love as constant, unchanging and immortal, supporting it with metaphors and imagery. It is only in the couplet that the speaker adds stakes to their claim that, if their idea of love were false, then this would be comparable to the speaker never having written a word. Because you are reading the poem itself, you know this claim to be false.

With this, the speaker affirms their claims about true love through the use of irony. It is this conviction that marks the volta.

'Sonnet 116': rhyme and meter

Shakespearean sonnets are largely written in the iambic pentameter, which is also true for 'Sonnet 116'.

The iambic pentameter lends a regular rhythm to the sonnet. The rising lilt of the alternating stressed syllable gives it a pleasing melody. This pleasure in sound may be why sonnets were commonly exchanged as love epistles. The rhyme scheme followed by this sonnet is ABAB, i.e., alternating rhymes in the first three quatrains and then, finally, a rhyming couplet.

In the following example of the first quatrain of the poem, the stressed syllables are underlined and the end rhymes are coloured in pink and blue:

'Sonnet 116': literary and poetic devices

Let's take a look at some of the literary and poetic devices present in 'Sonnet 116'.

Alliteration

The use of 'marriage' and 'minds' or 'wand'ring,' 'whose,' and 'worth' in rapid succession are examples of alliteration in the sonnet.

Can you find other instances of alliteration in the poem? Reflect on how this affects your reading of the poem: does the repetition make it sound weird, or does it sound pleasurable to you? Is there any pattern or emphasis that lends itself to alliteration?

Hyperbole

The notion of love lasting beyond the 'edge of doom' is a hyperbole. Another instance of hyperbole is in the final couplet.

To prove his conviction, the speaker expresses the sincerity of their words in an exaggerated way: if their claim is false, then they have never written a word - which is impossible since you are reading their written word, thus inviting challenge to the speaker's unshakeable belief in love.

Metaphor

Love, in this sonnet, is metaphorically linked to the North Star in that it remains constant and unchangeable, and is a guiding tool for navigators in the same way that love helps one navigate through life.

What other links can you glean between the two from the sonnet?

Personification

The use of personification in the sonnet is evident in the speaker's description of love having 'rosy lips and cheeks' and of time (or death; think the grim reaper) bending its sickle.

What do you think this personification does to these abstract ideas? Do they seem more animated and lively to you? Does this layer the meaning of the poem?

Fig. 2 - The grim reaper is a personified symbol of death.

Polyptoton

In the sonnet, the use of the following pairs of words are examples of polyptoton:

1. alters - alteration
2. remover - remove

Reflect on what effect these words have on the speaker or the audience. Do they build momentum, emphasise a point or create a sense of irony?

'Sonnet 116': key themes

'Sonnet 116' presents the key themes of love, and beauty and morality.

Love

It may come across as no surprise that love is the main theme of the poem. The poet uses various figures of speech, notably the metaphor, to compare love to a star, making it seem distant and unattainable but also eternal and beautiful.

The comparison also evokes the notion of love as a constant and guiding force in one's life, and how true, eternal love can weather all storms.

It is worth noting that the 126 Sonnets that Shakespeare dedicates to a young man, a mysterious 'Mr. W. H' are all tumultuous and filled with volatile passion and infidelity. Considering this, what do you think Shakespeare means by proclaiming the eternal and unconditional nature of love?

Beauty and mortality

The speaker personifies love and time while proclaiming that time cannot end true love, for true endures death and is eternally beautiful. Here, time may also be seen as death, given that it evokes the image of the grim reaper with a sickle.

¹ Dympna Callaghan, Shakespeare's Sonnets, 2007.