Introduction to Sonnet 116: “Let me not to the marriage of true minds”
William Shakespeare’s Sonnet 116 is a profound meditation on the nature of true love. This sonnet defines love as unwavering and constant, unaffected by external changes or time’s ravages. Shakespeare contrasts the enduring quality of true love with the fleeting nature of physical beauty and human life. It is one of the most quoted of Shakespeare’s sonnets and is often used in discussions of idealized love.
Summary
The poet begins by rejecting any obstacles (“impediments”) to the union of true minds, declaring that genuine love is steadfast and unchanging. Love does not alter when circumstances change, nor does it falter when faced with challenges. True love, Shakespeare asserts, is like a fixed star guiding wandering ships; it is a constant and reliable force, though its full value may be immeasurable.
Love is not subject to time, even though physical beauty may fade. It endures through life’s brief moments (“hours and weeks”) and remains unyielding until the end of time (“the edge of doom”). Shakespeare concludes with a bold assertion: if his definition of love is incorrect, then he has never written, and no one has ever truly loved.
Theme
The main themes of Sonnet 116 include:
- The Constancy of True Love: True love is steadfast, unchanging, and eternal.
- Love vs. Time: True love transcends the effects of time and physical decay.
- Love and Perfection: Shakespeare presents an idealized and almost spiritual conception of love.
- The Certainty of True Love: The poet is confident in his definition of love, asserting its universal truth.
Literary Devices
- Metaphor: Love is compared to an “ever-fixed mark” and a “star” that guides ships.
- Imagery: The “tempests,” “star,” “rosy lips and cheeks,” and “bending sickle” create vivid images to contrast love’s constancy with physical and temporal change.
- Personification: Time is personified as a being with a “bending sickle” that harvests beauty.
- Alliteration: Repetition of consonant sounds, such as “Let me not to the marriage of true minds,” emphasizes key ideas.
- Symbolism: The “ever-fixed mark” symbolizes steadfastness, while the “wand’ring bark” symbolizes the uncertainty of life.
- Rhyme Scheme: The poem follows the typical Shakespearean sonnet structure with a rhyme scheme of ABABCDCDEFEFGG.
- Hyperbole: The poet claims that if his view of love is wrong, then no one has ever loved, an exaggerated way to emphasize his conviction.
- Tone: The tone is assertive, confident, and reverential toward the ideal of love.
Line-by-Line Explanation
- “Let me not to the marriage of true minds”
- The poet begins by declaring that there should be no obstacles to the union of true and compatible minds (a metaphor for true love).
- “Admit impediments; love is not love”
- True love cannot be hindered by obstacles or challenges. If it changes under such circumstances, it is not real love.
- “Which alters when it alteration finds,”
- Love does not change when situations or circumstances around it change.
- “Or bends with the remover to remove.”
- Love does not falter or weaken when faced with challenges or the absence of a loved one.
- “O no, it is an ever-fixèd mark”
- Love is a constant, like a lighthouse or a fixed mark, unmoved by storms or challenges.
- “That looks on tempests and is never shaken;”
- True love remains steadfast even in the face of difficulties or turmoil (“tempests”).
- “It is the star to every wand’ring bark,”
- Love is likened to a guiding star that helps navigate ships (barks) lost at sea, symbolizing guidance and constancy.
- “Whose worth’s unknown, although his height be taken.”
- While the star’s height can be measured (like its position in the sky), its true value and significance are immeasurable.
- “Love’s not time’s fool, though rosy lips and cheeks”
- Love is not controlled or diminished by time, even though physical beauty (symbolized by “rosy lips and cheeks”) fades with age.
- “Within his bending sickle’s compass come.”
- Time, personified as a reaper with a sickle, can claim beauty and youth, but not true love.
- “Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,”
- True love is not affected by the passing of time or temporary changes.
- “But bears it out even to the edge of doom:”
- True love endures until the end of time (“the edge of doom” refers to Judgment Day).
- “If this be error and upon me proved,”
- The poet challenges anyone to disprove his definition of love.
- “I never writ, nor no man ever loved.”
- If his understanding of love is wrong, then Shakespeare asserts that he has never written anything, and no one has ever truly loved. This is a bold declaration of his confidence in the truth of his words.
Word Meanings
- Marriage – Union, bond, or partnership.
- True minds – Genuine, sincere compatibility and understanding between two people.
- Admit impediments – Allow obstacles or hindrances.
- Alters – Changes or becomes different.
- Alteration – Change or variation.
- Remover – Something or someone that causes separation or distance.
- Ever-fixèd mark – A constant, unchanging point (like a lighthouse).
- Tempests – Storms, representing turmoil or difficulties.
- Star – A celestial body that provides guidance, symbolizing love’s constancy.
- Wand’ring bark – A lost or wandering ship, symbolizing uncertainty or human life.
- Worth’s unknown – The true value cannot be fully understood or measured.
- Height – Position or measurement, often metaphorical for greatness or distance.
- Time’s fool – A victim of time, something that is affected by the passage of time.
- Rosy lips and cheeks – Symbols of youth and beauty.
- Bending sickle – A curved blade, representing time as a reaper of life and beauty.
- Compass – Range or scope.
- Edge of doom – The end of time, Judgment Day.
- Error – A mistake or incorrect belief.
- Proved – Shown to be true or false.
Conclusion
Sonnet 116 offers an idealistic view of love as unchanging, eternal, and impervious to external forces. It celebrates love’s capacity to endure through time and adversity, suggesting that true love transcends the physical and temporal. Shakespeare’s confident tone and use of striking imagery make this sonnet a timeless declaration of love’s true nature.
