Sonnet 116

Sonnet 116

1. Structure of 'The Shakespearean' sonnet

   • has 14 lines divided into three stanzas of four lines each and a final couplet.
   • The rhyme scheme can be described as a-b-a-b, c-d-c-d, e-f-e-f, g-g. This poem follows the conventional structure and includes the usual 'turn' at the end - a pair of lines (or couplet) that either shifts the mood or meaning of the poem, or asserts some sort of revelation.

2. As well as not changing appearance or position, love "bears it out even to the edge of doom". Shakespeare is using language associated with extremes to show the power of love, confirming love as a positive force that triumphs over the prospect of "doom".

   • There are lots of references to the idea of love enduring in Sonnet 116. As well as being "unshaken" by storms, "Love alters not" - it is a constant, an "ever-fixed mark", just as a "star" is reliably found in the night sky.
   • The opening lines of the poem echo the conventional Christian marriage service and they stress the idea that love ("the marriage of true minds") should be without "impediments" or barriers and obstacles. These lines can also be interpreted as meaning that love, if it is true, should be without fault.

3. Sonnet 116 acknowledges that love is a mysterious force "Whose worth's unknown", implying love is priceless and beyond the ability of man to evaluate even though "his height be taken".

   • The poem also proposes that love is a constant. The metaphor of "the star" is important in this respect because love, like the stars in the night sky, can be observed across the globe throughout time. Love is not restricted by time or place, but exists above all considerations.
   • The traditional idea of love and time being enemies is explored briefly in Sonnet 116. Shakespeare is clear about the positive virtues of love: even when the "rosy lips and cheeks of youth" fall victim to Time's "sickle" (an agricultural tool used for harvesting grain) love will remain.