Sonnet 116
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,
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;
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 proved,
I never writ, nor no man ever loved.
Line 1:
“Let me not to the marriage of true minds”
Difficult Words Meaning:
- Marriage of true minds: A deep and genuine union of souls or intellects.
In-Depth Explanation of Text and Context:
The sonnet opens with the poet declaring that he will not admit any obstacles to the union of true minds. This suggests that the poet is advocating for a pure and unchanging love that transcends physical or external challenges.
The line sets the tone for the sonnet, which explores the idea that true love is constant and unwavering.
Line 2:
“Admit impediments. Love is not love”
Difficult Words Meaning:
- Admit impediments: Allow obstacles or hindrances.
In-Depth Explanation of Text and Context:
The poet asserts that true love does not allow for obstacles or hindrances, suggesting that it is a force that cannot be weakened by external challenges. This reflects the idea that true love is steadfast and unchanging.
The line reinforces the poet’s belief in the enduring nature of true love.
Line 3:
“Which alters when it alteration finds,”
Difficult Words Meaning:
- Alters: Changes or weakens.
- Alteration: Change or challenge.
In-Depth Explanation of Text and Context:
The poet declares that true love does not change when it encounters challenges or changes in circumstances. This suggests that true love is constant and unwavering, even in the face of adversity.
The line reflects the poet’s belief in the enduring nature of true love.
Line 4:
“Or bends with the remover to remove:”
Difficult Words Meaning:
- Bends: Yields or gives in.
- Remover: Someone or something that tries to separate lovers.
In-Depth Explanation of Text and Context:
The poet asserts that true love does not yield to attempts to separate lovers, suggesting that it is a force that cannot be weakened by external challenges. This reflects the idea that true love is steadfast and unchanging.
The line reinforces the poet’s belief in the enduring nature of true love.
Line 5:
“O, no! it is an ever-fixed mark,”
Difficult Words Meaning:
- Ever-fixed mark: A constant and unchanging guide, like a lighthouse.
In-Depth Explanation of Text and Context:
The poet describes true love as an “ever-fixed mark,” suggesting that it is a constant and unchanging guide that remains steadfast even in the face of adversity. This reflects the idea that true love is a reliable and unwavering force.
The line reinforces the poet’s belief in the enduring nature of true love.
Line 6:
“That looks on tempests and is never shaken;”
Difficult Words Meaning:
- Tempests: Storms or challenges.
In-Depth Explanation of Text and Context:
The poet describes true love as something that remains unshaken even in the face of storms or challenges, suggesting that it is a force that cannot be weakened by external circumstances. This reflects the idea that true love is steadfast and unchanging.
The line reinforces the poet’s belief in the enduring nature of true love.
Line 7:
“It is the star to every wandering bark,”
Difficult Words Meaning:
- Star: A guiding light, like the North Star.
- Wandering bark: A lost or aimless ship.
In-Depth Explanation of Text and Context:
The poet compares true love to a guiding star that provides direction to a lost ship, suggesting that it is a reliable and unwavering force that helps navigate through life’s challenges. This reflects the idea that true love is a constant and unchanging guide.
The line reinforces the poet’s belief in the enduring nature of true love.
Line 8:
“Whose worth’s unknown, although his height be taken.”
Difficult Words Meaning:
- Worth’s unknown: Its true value cannot be measured.
- Height be taken: Its position can be determined.
In-Depth Explanation of Text and Context:
The poet describes the true value of love as immeasurable, even though its position or presence can be recognized. This suggests that true love is a profound and invaluable force that cannot be fully understood or quantified.
The line reflects the poet’s belief in the enduring and immeasurable nature of true love.
Line 9:
“Love’s not Time’s fool, though rosy lips and cheeks”
Difficult Words Meaning:
- Time’s fool: Subject to the whims of time.
- Rosy lips and cheeks: Symbols of youthful beauty.
In-Depth Explanation of Text and Context:
The poet declares that true love is not subject to the whims of time, even though physical beauty may fade with age. This suggests that true love transcends physical appearance and remains constant over time.
The line reinforces the poet’s belief in the enduring nature of true love.
Line 10:
“Within his bending sickle’s compass come;”
Difficult Words Meaning:
- Bending sickle: The tool of Time, symbolizing decay and death.
- Compass: Range or reach.
In-Depth Explanation of Text and Context:
The poet describes how physical beauty falls within the reach of Time’s sickle, suggesting that it is subject to decay and death. This reflects the idea that true love transcends physical appearance and remains constant over time.
The line reinforces the poet’s belief in the enduring nature of true love.
Line 11:
“Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,”
Difficult Words Meaning:
- Alters not: Does not change.
- Brief hours and weeks: The passage of time.
In-Depth Explanation of Text and Context:
The poet declares that true love does not change with the passage of time, suggesting that it is a constant and unchanging force. This reflects the idea that true love transcends the limitations of time.
The line reinforces the poet’s belief in the enduring nature of true love.
Line 12:
“But bears it out even to the edge of doom.”
Difficult Words Meaning:
- Bears it out: Endures or persists.
- Edge of doom: The end of time or the apocalypse.
In-Depth Explanation of Text and Context:
The poet declares that true love endures even to the end of time, suggesting that it is a force that transcends all limitations. This reflects the idea that true love is eternal and unchanging.
The line reinforces the poet’s belief in the enduring nature of true love.
Line 13:
“If this be error and upon me proved,”
Difficult Words Meaning:
- Error: Mistake or falsehood.
- Upon me proved: Proven against me.
In-Depth Explanation of Text and Context:
The poet challenges anyone to prove that his understanding of love is wrong, suggesting that he is confident in his belief in the enduring nature of true love. This reflects the poet’s conviction and certainty.
The line reinforces the poet’s belief in the enduring nature of true love.
Line 14:
“I never writ, nor no man ever loved.”
Difficult Words Meaning:
- Writ: Written.
- No man ever loved: No one has ever truly loved.
In-Depth Explanation of Text and Context:
The sonnet concludes with the poet declaring that if his understanding of love is proven wrong, then he has never written anything, and no one has ever truly loved. This suggests that the poet’s belief in the enduring nature of true love is absolute and unshakable.
The line reinforces the poet’s conviction and certainty in his understanding of true love.
Summary of the Sonnet:
Sonnet 116 is a powerful declaration of the enduring nature of true love. The poet asserts that true love is constant and unwavering, transcending physical appearance, external challenges, and the passage of time. He describes true love as an “ever-fixed mark” and a guiding star that remains steadfast even in the face of adversity. The poet challenges anyone to prove that his understanding of love is wrong, declaring that if it is, then he has never written anything, and no one has ever truly loved. The sonnet reflects Shakespeare’s belief in the eternal and unchanging nature of true love, which transcends all limitations and endures even to the end of time.
In-Depth Analysis of Sonnet 116
Summary
Sonnet 116 is one of Shakespeare’s most famous sonnets, defining true love as eternal, unchanging, and unyielding. The speaker argues that real love does not waver in the face of obstacles or change with time. Instead, it is a guiding star, immune to external forces and lasting until the end of time. The sonnet concludes with an emphatic statement: if his definition of love is wrong, then no one has ever truly loved.
- First quatrain: True love is unchangeable and should face no obstacles. If love changes when circumstances change, it is not real love.
- Second quatrain: Love is compared to a steadfast lighthouse that endures storms and serves as a guiding star for lost ships.
- Third quatrain: Love is not subject to time’s power—while physical beauty fades, true love remains unshaken.
- Final couplet: If Shakespeare’s definition is wrong, then he has never written and no one has ever loved—an assertion that reinforces his absolute certainty.
Critical Analysis
1. The Definition of True Love
- “Let me not to the marriage of true minds / Admit impediments.”
- The phrase “marriage of true minds” suggests a spiritual, intellectual, and emotional connection, rather than mere physical attraction.
- The speaker rejects the idea that any obstacles (impediments) should hinder true love.
- This recalls the traditional Christian wedding vows (“Let no man put asunder”), reinforcing love’s sacred and unbreakable nature.
2. Love as an “Ever-Fixed Mark”
- “O no! it is an ever-fixed mark, / That looks on tempests and is never shaken.”
- Love is compared to a lighthouse, which guides sailors through storms and remains unmoved.
- This image emphasizes love’s strength and reliability.
- The use of “tempests” suggests that love faces hardships, yet remains unwavering.
3. The Guiding Star Metaphor
- “It is the star to every wandering bark, / Whose worth’s unknown, although his height be taken.”
- Love is like the North Star, which has guided sailors (or “wandering barks”) for centuries.
- Its true value is immeasurable—sailors can measure its height, but not its worth.
- This implies that love’s power cannot be fully understood or calculated.
4. Love vs. Time
- “Love’s not Time’s fool, though rosy lips and cheeks / Within his bending sickle’s compass come.”
- Time is personified as a Grim Reaper (with a sickle) that destroys youth and beauty.
- However, true love does not fade as physical beauty does.
- This directly contrasts with the theme of many earlier sonnets, where the speaker mourns the fleeting nature of youth.
5. The Final, Bold Assertion
- “If this be error and upon me proved, / I never writ, nor no man ever loved.”
- Shakespeare stakes his entire poetic career on this definition of love.
- He suggests that if he is wrong, then poetry and love itself do not exist.
- This absolute statement adds weight to the argument—he is utterly convinced of love’s eternal nature.
Theme Analysis
1. Love’s Constancy
- Love is portrayed as unchanging and eternal, unaffected by external factors.
- The use of nautical imagery (the lighthouse, the star) reinforces the idea that love provides guidance and stability.
2. Love’s Defiance of Time
- The sonnet challenges the idea that love diminishes over time.
- Though youth fades, love “bears it out even to the edge of doom”—it lasts until Judgment Day.
3. Love as a Spiritual Ideal
- The phrase “marriage of true minds” suggests that love transcends the physical realm.
- Shakespeare presents love as an unbreakable bond between souls, not dependent on beauty or circumstances.
Literary Devices
1. Metaphor: Love as a Lighthouse
- “It is an ever-fixed mark, / That looks on tempests and is never shaken.”
- The lighthouse represents love’s steadfastness amid life’s storms.
2. Extended Metaphor: Love as a Guiding Star
- “It is the star to every wandering bark.”
- Love is compared to the North Star, a universal symbol of guidance and constancy.
3. Personification: Time as a Reaper
- “Love’s not Time’s fool, though rosy lips and cheeks / Within his bending sickle’s compass come.”
- Time is personified as a destructive force, but love is immune to its power.
4. Hyperbole in the Final Couplet
- “If this be error and upon me proved, / I never writ, nor no man ever loved.”
- Shakespeare makes an exaggerated claim to emphasize his certainty about love’s nature.
Conclusion
Sonnet 116 is a bold and timeless declaration of love’s power. Shakespeare defines true love as unwavering, eternal, and immune to time’s effects. Using powerful imagery (the lighthouse, the guiding star, the sickle of time), he presents love as a force that endures through all challenges. The poem’s definitive, almost religious tone elevates love to an idealized, almost divine concept.
This sonnet is often quoted in weddings because it captures the essence of true, unconditional love. However, in the context of Shakespeare’s sonnets, it also serves as a contrast to earlier poems, where love is portrayed as fragile and fleeting. Here, Shakespeare offers a perfected vision of love—one that transcends time and physicality.
