Sonnet 148: O Me! What Eyes Hath Love Put In My Head
O me! What eyes hath Love put in my head,
Which have no correspondence with true sight;
Or, if they have, where is my judgment fled,
That censures falsely what they see aright?
If that be fair whereon my false eyes dote,
What means the world to say it is not so?
If it be not, then love doth well denote
Love’s eye is not so true as all men’s: no,
How can it? O! how can Love’s eye be true,
That is so vexed with watching and with tears?
No marvel then, though I mistake my view;
The sun itself sees not, till heaven clears.
O cunning Love! with tears thou keep’st me blind,
Lest eyes well-seeing thy foul faults should find.
Line 1:
“O me! What eyes hath Love put in my head,”
Difficult Words Meaning:
- Hath: Has (archaic form).
Explanation:
The speaker begins by exclaiming about the eyes that Love has given him, suggesting that they distort his perception. This line sets the tone for the sonnet, which explores the conflict between love’s illusions and reality.
Line 2:
“Which have no correspondence with true sight;”
Difficult Words Meaning:
- Correspondence: Agreement or alignment.
- True sight: Accurate perception.
Explanation:
The speaker suggests that the eyes given by Love do not see things as they truly are. This line introduces the theme of distorted perception caused by love.
Line 3:
“Or, if they have, where is my judgment fled,”
Difficult Words Meaning:
- Judgment: Rational thought or discernment.
Explanation:
The speaker questions whether his eyes see accurately, and if so, why his judgment has failed him. This line highlights the conflict between perception and reason.
Line 4:
“That censures falsely what they see aright?”
Difficult Words Meaning:
- Censures: Judges or evaluates.
- Aright: Correctly or accurately.
Explanation:
The speaker wonders why his judgment misinterprets what his eyes see correctly. This line emphasizes the confusion and distortion caused by love.
Line 5:
“If that be fair whereon my false eyes dote,”
Difficult Words Meaning:
- Fair: Beautiful or virtuous.
- Dote: Love excessively or foolishly.
Explanation:
The speaker questions whether the object of his love is truly fair, given that his eyes are deceived. This line reflects his doubt and the theme of love’s illusions.
Line 6:
“What means the world to say it is not so?”
Difficult Words Meaning:
- Means: Indicates or suggests.
Explanation:
The speaker wonders why the world disagrees with his perception, suggesting that his love may be based on falsehood. This line highlights the conflict between personal perception and external reality.
Line 7:
“If it be not, then love doth well denote”
Difficult Words Meaning:
- Denote: Indicate or show.
Explanation:
The speaker suggests that if his perception is false, then love itself is deceptive. This line reinforces the theme of love’s ability to distort reality.
Line 8:
“Love’s eye is not so true as all men’s: no,”
Difficult Words Meaning:
- True: Accurate or honest.
Explanation:
The speaker concludes that Love’s eye is less accurate than the eyes of ordinary men. This line emphasizes the deceptive nature of love.
Line 9:
“How can it? O! how can Love’s eye be true,”
Difficult Words Meaning:
- True: Accurate or honest.
Explanation:
The speaker questions how Love’s eye can be accurate, given its tendency to distort perception. This line reflects his frustration and confusion.
Line 10:
“That is so vexed with watching and with tears?”
Difficult Words Meaning:
- Vexed: Troubled or distressed.
- Watching: Staying awake or being vigilant.
Explanation:
The speaker suggests that Love’s eye is clouded by sleeplessness and tears, making it unreliable. This line emphasizes the emotional turmoil that distorts perception.
Line 11:
“No marvel then, though I mistake my view;”
Difficult Words Meaning:
- Marvel: Wonder or surprise.
- Mistake my view: Misinterpret what I see.
Explanation:
The speaker concludes that it is no wonder he misinterprets what he sees, given the distortions caused by love. This line reflects his acceptance of love’s illusions.
Line 12:
“The sun itself sees not, till heaven clears.”
Difficult Words Meaning:
- Heaven clears: The sky becomes clear.
Explanation:
The speaker uses the metaphor of the sun, which cannot see clearly until the sky is clear, to illustrate how love’s distortions cloud his vision. This line emphasizes the theme of obscured perception.
Line 13:
“O cunning Love! with tears thou keep’st me blind,”
Difficult Words Meaning:
- Cunning: Deceptive or crafty.
- Keep’st: Keep (archaic form).
Explanation:
The speaker accuses Love of using tears to keep him blind to the truth. This line highlights the manipulative and deceptive nature of love.
Line 14:
“Lest eyes well-seeing thy foul faults should find.”
Difficult Words Meaning:
- Well-seeing: Clear-sighted or accurate.
- Foul faults: Ugly or immoral flaws.
Explanation:
The speaker concludes that Love keeps him blind to prevent him from seeing its flaws. This line encapsulates the sonnet’s theme of love’s ability to deceive and obscure the truth.
Overall Context and Themes:
Sonnet 148 explores the theme of love’s ability to distort perception and obscure the truth. The speaker questions the accuracy of his vision and the reliability of love’s judgments, highlighting the conflict between passion and reason. The poem delves into the deceptive nature of love and the emotional turmoil it causes, using vivid imagery and metaphors to illustrate the speaker’s confusion and disillusionment. The sonnet’s exploration of love’s illusions makes it a powerful meditation on the complexities of human emotion.
In-Depth Summary
Shakespeare’s Sonnet 148 explores the theme of love’s ability to distort perception. The speaker laments that love has placed deceptive eyes in his head, causing him to see beauty where the world does not. He questions whether his judgment has abandoned him, as he perceives fairness in his beloved, despite the world’s contrary opinion. He acknowledges that love’s vision is not objective, as it is clouded by emotional turmoil, tears, and obsessive longing. He concludes that love deliberately blinds him with sorrow so that he does not perceive its flaws, suggesting that love is deceptive by nature.
Critical Analysis
This sonnet belongs to the “Dark Lady” sequence (Sonnets 127-152), where the speaker struggles with his conflicted feelings toward his mistress. The poem focuses on love’s deceptive nature, illustrating how it warps perception. The speaker finds himself entrapped by an illusion—he sees his beloved as beautiful, but the world disagrees. The frustration in the poem arises from his realization that love has stripped him of his ability to judge objectively.
The rhetorical questions in the poem reinforce the speaker’s inner turmoil. His doubt and self-awareness are evident when he asks, “If that be fair whereon my false eyes dote, / What means the world to say it is not so?” He recognizes that his perception is biased, but he is powerless against it.
The closing couplet—“O cunning Love! with tears thou keep’st me blind, / Lest eyes well-seeing thy foul faults should find.”—is particularly significant. It suggests that love intentionally blinds him to protect itself from scrutiny. This cynicism contrasts with Shakespeare’s earlier idealized portrayals of love in other sonnets, reinforcing a darker, more painful aspect of love—one that is manipulative and delusional.
Theme Analysis
- Love as a Deceptive Force
- Love distorts vision, leading individuals to see beauty where there is none. The speaker acknowledges that his perception is unreliable because love has replaced his natural sight with emotional blindness.
- Subjectivity vs. Objectivity
- The speaker grapples with a conflict between personal experience and societal judgment. The world sees his beloved as flawed, but his perception insists on her beauty, showing the clash between subjective passion and objective reality.
- The Power of Emotion over Reason
- Love overrides rational judgment, making the speaker’s “false eyes” persist in their illusion. This highlights how emotions can overwhelm logic.
- Suffering and Love’s Manipulation
- The speaker suggests that love intentionally blinds him to shield itself from criticism. The mention of “watching and with tears” emphasizes the emotional suffering that love inflicts.
Literary Devices
- Rhetorical Questions
- Used extensively to highlight the speaker’s frustration and self-doubt:
- “O! how can Love’s eye be true, / That is so vexed with watching and with tears?”
- These questions reinforce the central conflict—love distorts truth.
- Personification
- Love is personified as an entity that actively blinds the speaker (“O cunning Love! with tears thou keep’st me blind”), reinforcing the idea that love is manipulative and deceitful.
- Irony
- The speaker recognizes that his eyes deceive him, yet he continues to trust them. His awareness of love’s deception adds a layer of dramatic irony.
- Metaphor
- “The sun itself sees not, till heaven clears.”
- The sun, a symbol of clarity and vision, is unable to see through cloudy skies. This parallels how the speaker cannot see reality until love’s emotional influence dissipates.
- Contrast (Antithesis)
- True sight vs. false perception:
- “Which have no correspondence with true sight;” (suggesting his eyes deceive him).
- Love’s blindness vs. clarity of judgment:
- Love is shown as something that thrives on blindness, preventing rational judgment.
- Alliteration
- The repetition of sounds enhances the musicality of the sonnet:
- “Love’s eye is not so true as all men’s: no,” (repetition of “s” sound).
- “No marvel then, though I mistake my view;” (repetition of “m” sound).
- Enjambment
- Many lines continue into the next without pause, reflecting the speaker’s tangled thoughts and emotional turmoil.
Conclusion
Sonnet 148 is a powerful reflection on the deceptive nature of love. Shakespeare portrays love as an entity that clouds judgment, leading the speaker to see beauty where none exists. Through rhetorical questions, irony, and personification, the poem captures the anguish of realizing that one’s perception is unreliable. Love, in this sonnet, is not uplifting but rather manipulative, causing blindness through sorrow and tears. The speaker’s internal conflict between what he sees and what others see creates a poignant meditation on the illusionary power of love and its ability to obscure reality.
