Sonnet 116 by Shakespeare

Sonnet 116 by Shakespeare, this poem expresses what the true love between the lovers should be. Shakespeare expresses the love boldly without concealing. He says the true love cannot be stopped by obstacles, can’t be change with alterations. Shakespeare uses metaphor to describe love as permanent as an “ever-fixed mark”. The “tempests” as difficulties can never shake the determination of love. Another metaphor “star” is to convince audiences that love is like star that direct us and light our life up. “Star” gives hope to people’s life. Once people have a love experience, the value is of it can’t be measure until they actually taste it. From line 15 to the end, Shakespeare restates the permanence of love; it doesn’t change with time changing. Love is love; it will not fade no matter how other things change. It lasts till the end of life. Based on this, Shakespeare emphasizes that love is independent not variable. In the end, it’s obvious that only because he has love, he can prove all is right. In this poem, Shakespeare used shifts and emphasises such as “No”, But”, “if” to evolve his statement. This poem also rhymes in free forms which make it more sound romantic and narrative because Shakespeare feels he is in love and knows the value of love. Shakespeare writes it in a very confident tone, “If this is not true, no man would’ve ever loved”. It combines all the short sentences giving audience sense to be as passionate as what is described.


Sonnet CXVI. “Let me not to the marriage of true minds”

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,
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That looks on tempests and is never shaken;
It is the star to every wandering 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;
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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 prov’d,
I never writ, nor no man ever lov’d.

By William Shakespeare