Sonnet 140: Be Wise As Thou Art Cruel; Do Not Press
Be wise as thou art cruel; do not press
My tongue-tied patience with too much disdain;
Lest sorrow lend me words, and words express
The manner of my pity-wanting pain.
If I might teach thee wit, better it were,
Though not to love, yet, love to tell me so;
As testy sick men, when their deaths be near,
No news but health from their physicians know;
For, if I should despair, I should grow mad,
And in my madness might speak ill of thee;
Now this ill-wresting world is grown so bad,
Mad slanderers by mad ears believed be.
That I may not be so, nor thou belied,
Bear thine eyes straight, though thy proud heart go wide.
Line 1:
“Be wise as thou art cruel; do not press”
Difficult Words Meaning:
- Thou: You (archaic or poetic form of “you”).
- Press: Push or burden.
Explanation:
The speaker begins by urging his beloved to be as wise as she is cruel, asking her not to push him too far. This line sets the tone for the sonnet, which explores the tension between her cruelty and his patience.
Line 2:
“My tongue-tied patience with too much disdain;”
Difficult Words Meaning:
- Tongue-tied: Unable to speak or express oneself.
- Disdain: Contempt or scorn.
Explanation:
The speaker describes his patience as “tongue-tied,” suggesting that he has been silent in the face of her scorn. This line highlights his restraint and the emotional toll of her cruelty.
Line 3:
“Lest sorrow lend me words, and words express”
Difficult Words Meaning:
- Lest: For fear that.
- Sorrow lend me words: Grief gives me the ability to speak.
Explanation:
The speaker warns that if pushed too far, his sorrow will give him the words to express his pain. This line foreshadows the potential for emotional outburst if his patience is exhausted.
Line 4:
“The manner of my pity-wanting pain.”
Difficult Words Meaning:
- Pity-wanting: Deserving of pity or compassion.
Explanation:
The speaker suggests that his pain is worthy of pity, even if his beloved refuses to acknowledge it. This line emphasizes the depth of his suffering and his desire for compassion.
Line 5:
“If I might teach thee wit, better it were,”
Difficult Words Meaning:
- Wit: Wisdom or intelligence.
Explanation:
The speaker imagines teaching his beloved wisdom, suggesting that it would be better for her to act with understanding. This line reflects his hope for a more compassionate relationship.
Line 6:
“Though not to love, yet, love to tell me so;”
Difficult Words Meaning:
- Love to tell me so: Pretend to love me.
Explanation:
The speaker asks his beloved to at least pretend to love him, even if she does not truly feel it. This line reveals his longing for reassurance, even if it is insincere.
Line 7:
“As testy sick men, when their deaths be near,”
Difficult Words Meaning:
- Testy: Irritable or impatient.
Explanation:
The speaker compares his situation to that of terminally ill patients who seek comforting lies from their doctors. This metaphor underscores his desire for emotional comfort, even if it is not genuine.
Line 8:
“No news but health from their physicians know;”
Difficult Words Meaning:
- Physicians: Doctors.
Explanation:
The speaker continues the metaphor, suggesting that dying patients only want to hear good news from their doctors. This line reinforces his plea for comforting lies from his beloved.
Line 9:
“For, if I should despair, I should grow mad,”
Difficult Words Meaning:
- Despair: Lose all hope.
- Mad: Insane or irrational.
Explanation:
The speaker warns that if he loses hope, he may become irrational. This line highlights the fragility of his emotional state and the potential consequences of her cruelty.
Line 10:
“And in my madness might speak ill of thee;”
Difficult Words Meaning:
- Speak ill: Criticize or slander.
Explanation:
The speaker suggests that if he becomes irrational, he may say harmful things about his beloved. This line serves as a warning, urging her to treat him with more kindness.
Line 11:
“Now this ill-wresting world is grown so bad,”
Difficult Words Meaning:
- Ill-wresting: Twisting things to a bad purpose.
Explanation:
The speaker laments that the world has become so corrupt that people are quick to believe slander. This line reflects his awareness of the broader social context and its potential impact on his reputation.
Line 12:
“Mad slanderers by mad ears believed be.”
Difficult Words Meaning:
- Slanderers: Those who spread false accusations.
- Mad ears: Irrational listeners.
Explanation:
The speaker suggests that irrational people are quick to believe slander. This line reinforces his warning about the potential consequences of his beloved’s cruelty.
Line 13:
“That I may not be so, nor thou belied,”
Difficult Words Meaning:
- Belied: Falsely accused or misrepresented.
Explanation:
The speaker expresses his desire to avoid becoming irrational and to protect his beloved from false accusations. This line reflects his lingering care for her, despite her cruelty.
Line 14:
“Bear thine eyes straight, though thy proud heart go wide.”
Difficult Words Meaning:
- Bear thine eyes straight: Look directly at me.
- Proud heart go wide: Let your heart wander freely.
Explanation:
The speaker concludes by asking his beloved to at least look at him directly, even if her heart is elsewhere. This line encapsulates the sonnet’s theme of longing for connection, even in the face of emotional distance.
Overall Context and Themes:
Sonnet 140 explores the tension between the speaker’s patience and his beloved’s cruelty. The poem delves into themes of emotional pain, the desire for compassion, and the fragility of human relationships. The speaker’s warnings about the consequences of despair and slander add a layer of urgency to his plea for kindness. The sonnet’s vivid imagery and emotional intensity make it a powerful exploration of the complexities of love and human vulnerability.
In-Depth Analysis of Sonnet 140
Summary
In Sonnet 140, the speaker pleads with his mistress to temper her cruelty with wisdom, warning that if she treats him with too much disdain, he may be driven to speak out against her. He suggests that even if she does not love him, she should at least pretend to—much like a dying man prefers to hear false reassurance from a doctor rather than a harsh truth.
The speaker fears that his sorrow and despair will drive him mad, causing him to expose her infidelities. In an age where gossip and slander spread easily, his accusations might be believed by others, damaging her reputation. The final couplet subtly urges her to control her public appearance—even if her heart is unfaithful, she should at least appear loyal.
Critical Analysis
This sonnet is another example of Shakespeare’s cynical and tortured love in the Dark Lady sonnets. The speaker does not demand faithfulness but rather urges discretion. Unlike earlier sonnets where he rationalizes or passively suffers her betrayals, here he issues a veiled threat—if she humiliates him too openly, he may retaliate with damaging words.
The tone is a mix of pleading, warning, and bitterness. The speaker’s emotional state is fragile—his “tongue-tied patience” suggests he has endured much, but there is a limit to his silence. If pushed too far, his grief may turn into outbursts of slander. This suggests that love, for him, has become a battleground of manipulation—where truth is dangerous, and deception is a necessity.
Theme Analysis
- The Power of Words and Reputation
- The speaker recognizes that words have power, especially in a world where lies and gossip spread easily.
- He warns that if he loses control, he might speak ill of her, and society would believe his slander.
- This highlights the importance of public perception—a key theme in many of Shakespeare’s sonnets.
- Love and Madness
- The speaker suggests that his suffering could drive him insane, leading him to publicly shame his mistress.
- The idea that love and madness are intertwined is common in Shakespeare’s works (e.g., Hamlet, Othello).
- Deception in Love
- The speaker implies that love is sustained by illusion—even if she does not love him, she should fake affection to keep him from despair.
- He compares this to doctors lying to dying patients, reinforcing the idea that truth can be cruel, while deception can be merciful.
- Pride and Infidelity
- The mistress’s pride makes her cruel, but the speaker warns her not to flaunt her betrayals too openly.
- The final couplet suggests that appearances matter more than reality—she should at least act as if she is faithful, even if she is not.
Literary Devices
- Metaphor of a Dying Man and a Doctor
- The speaker compares himself to a sick man near death, and his mistress to a physician who should offer comforting lies rather than harsh truth:
- “As testy sick men, when their deaths be near, / No news but health from their physicians know.”
- This suggests that deception can be a form of kindness, reinforcing the theme of love as an illusion.
- Personification of Sorrow and Madness
- “Lest sorrow lend me words” → Sorrow is personified as something that forces speech, suggesting that grief will eventually become uncontrollable outbursts.
- “And in my madness might speak ill of thee” → Madness is personified as something that loosens his tongue, making him a dangerous threat to her reputation.
- Irony
- The speaker claims to be powerless, yet he subtly threatens his mistress, showing that words are his weapon.
- He hates deception, yet he encourages it, proving that he values illusion over painful truth.
- Alliteration and Repetition
- “Bear thine eyes straight, though thy proud heart go wide” → The repetition of “th” sounds creates a smooth, resigned tone.
- “Mad slanderers by mad ears believed be” → The repetition of “mad” emphasizes how gossip spreads in a corrupt world.
Conclusion
Sonnet 140 reveals the complex, manipulative dynamics between the speaker and his unfaithful mistress. Instead of demanding fidelity, he pleads for discretion, fearing that if she humiliates him too openly, his pain will drive him to publicly expose her. This creates a tense power struggle, where the speaker is both vulnerable and dangerous—a man who suffers in silence but might retaliate if pushed too far.
The tone is pleading but bitter, showing that love has become a game of appearances and survival. The final couplet reinforces this idea: even if she continues to betray him, she should at least pretend to be faithful—proving that, in this relationship, illusion is more important than truth.
