Sonnet 87: Farewell! Thou Art Too Dear For My Possessing
Farewell! thou art too dear for my possessing,
And like enough thou know’st thy estimate,
The charter of thy worth gives thee releasing;
My bonds in thee are all determinate.
For how do I hold thee but by thy granting?
And for that riches where is my deserving?
The cause of this fair gift in me is wanting,
And so my patent back again is swerving.
Thy self thou gavest, thy own worth then not knowing,
Or me to whom thou gav’st it else mistaking;
So thy great gift, upon misprision growing,
Comes home again, on better judgement making.
Thus have I had thee, as a dream doth flatter,
In sleep a king, but waking no such matter.
Line 1:
“Farewell! thou art too dear for my possessing,”
Difficult words meaning:
- Dear: Precious or valuable.
- Possessing: Owning or having.
Explanation:
The speaker begins by bidding farewell to the beloved, acknowledging that they are too precious for him to possess. This suggests a sense of unworthiness or inadequacy.
Context:
This line sets the tone for the sonnet, introducing the theme of the speaker’s realization that the beloved is beyond his reach.
Line 2:
“And like enough thou know’st thy estimate,”
Difficult words meaning:
- Estimate: Worth or value.
Explanation:
The speaker suggests that the beloved is aware of their own high worth, which further emphasizes the speaker’s sense of inadequacy.
Context:
This line highlights the beloved’s self-awareness and the speaker’s recognition of their superior value.
Line 3:
“The charter of thy worth gives thee releasing;”
Difficult words meaning:
- Charter: Document or guarantee.
- Releasing: Freedom or liberation.
Explanation:
The speaker suggests that the beloved’s inherent worth grants them the freedom to leave or be released from the relationship.
Context:
This line emphasizes the idea that the beloved’s value makes them independent and not bound to the speaker.
Line 4:
“My bonds in thee are all determinate.”
Difficult words meaning:
- Bonds: Ties or obligations.
- Determinate: Limited or finite.
Explanation:
The speaker acknowledges that his ties to the beloved are limited and can be dissolved, as they are not strong enough to hold the beloved.
Context:
This line reflects the speaker’s acceptance of the temporary nature of his relationship with the beloved.
Line 5:
“For how do I hold thee but by thy granting?”
Difficult words meaning:
- Granting: Permission or consent.
Explanation:
The speaker questions how he can hold onto the beloved without their consent, suggesting that the relationship is one-sided.
Context:
This line highlights the speaker’s dependence on the beloved’s willingness to stay in the relationship.
Line 6:
“And for that riches where is my deserving?”
Difficult words meaning:
- Riches: Wealth or value (referring to the beloved).
- Deserving: Merit or worthiness.
Explanation:
The speaker questions what he has done to deserve the beloved’s affection, implying that he feels unworthy of their love.
Context:
This line underscores the speaker’s sense of inadequacy and self-doubt.
Line 7:
“The cause of this fair gift in me is wanting,”
Difficult words meaning:
- Fair gift: The beloved’s love or affection.
- Wanting: Lacking or absent.
Explanation:
The speaker admits that he lacks the qualities that would justify the beloved’s love, suggesting that he is not deserving of their affection.
Context:
This line reinforces the speaker’s feelings of unworthiness and self-doubt.
Line 8:
“And so my patent back again is swerving.”
Difficult words meaning:
- Patent: Right or privilege.
- Swerving: Turning away or being revoked.
Explanation:
The speaker suggests that his right to the beloved’s love is being revoked or taken away, as he is not deserving of it.
Context:
This line reflects the speaker’s acceptance of the end of the relationship and his own inadequacy.
Line 9:
“Thy self thou gavest, thy own worth then not knowing,”
Difficult words meaning:
- Gavest: Gave.
Explanation:
The speaker suggests that the beloved gave themselves to him without fully understanding their own worth, implying that they were mistaken in doing so.
Context:
This line highlights the beloved’s initial generosity and the speaker’s belief that it was based on a misunderstanding of their own value.
Line 10:
“Or me to whom thou gav’st it else mistaking;”
Difficult words meaning:
- Mistaking: Misjudging or misunderstanding.
Explanation:
The speaker suggests that the beloved may have misjudged him, thinking him worthy of their love when he is not.
Context:
This line reinforces the speaker’s sense of inadequacy and his belief that the beloved’s affection was based on a mistake.
Line 11:
“So thy great gift, upon misprision growing,”
Difficult words meaning:
- Misprision: Misunderstanding or mistake.
Explanation:
The speaker suggests that the beloved’s great gift of love was based on a misunderstanding, which has now been corrected.
Context:
This line emphasizes the idea that the relationship was founded on a mistake and is now coming to an end.
Line 12:
“Comes home again, on better judgement making.”
Difficult words meaning:
- Comes home again: Returns or is revoked.
- Better judgement: Improved understanding or realization.
Explanation:
The speaker concludes that the beloved’s love is being withdrawn as they come to a better understanding of their own worth and the speaker’s inadequacy.
Context:
This line reflects the speaker’s acceptance of the end of the relationship and his belief that it is for the best.
Line 13:
“Thus have I had thee, as a dream doth flatter,”
Difficult words meaning:
- Flatter: Deceive or delude.
Explanation:
The speaker compares his time with the beloved to a dream that flatters and deceives, suggesting that it was never real or lasting.
Context:
This line emphasizes the fleeting and illusory nature of the relationship.
Line 14:
“In sleep a king, but waking no such matter.”
Difficult words meaning:
- In sleep a king: In dreams, one can be a king.
- Waking no such matter: In reality, it is not so.
Explanation:
The speaker concludes by comparing his relationship with the beloved to a dream in which he was a king, but upon waking, he realizes it was not real.
Context:
This final line ties together the sonnet’s central theme: the relationship was an illusion, and the speaker’s sense of possession was fleeting and unreal.
Overall Summary:
In Sonnet 87, Shakespeare explores the themes of unworthiness, the end of a relationship, and the fleeting nature of love. The speaker bids farewell to the beloved, acknowledging that they are too precious for him to possess and that his own inadequacy has led to the end of their relationship. The sonnet reflects the speaker’s acceptance of the temporary and illusory nature of his time with the beloved, comparing it to a dream that flatters and deceives. It is a poignant meditation on the challenges of love and the pain of realizing one’s own unworthiness.
In-Depth Summary
In Sonnet 87, Shakespeare expresses sorrowful resignation, acknowledging that the Fair Youth is beyond his possession. The sonnet is structured as a farewell, where the speaker recognizes that he has lost his beloved because the youth has realized his true worth.
The opening line, “Farewell! thou art too dear for my possessing,” establishes the central idea: the Fair Youth is too valuable to belong to the speaker. The use of “dear” conveys a double meaning—both precious and expensive—implying that the youth is beyond the speaker’s means.
The second quatrain further explores this idea of worth and ownership. The speaker states that he only held the youth by the youth’s granting, rather than through his own merit. This suggests that their relationship was not based on mutual worth but rather on the youth’s temporary generosity. The phrase “my patent back again is swerving” uses legal terminology to indicate that whatever right the speaker had to the youth’s love has now been revoked.
The third quatrain shifts to reflection. The speaker suggests that the youth once gave himself unknowingly, not realizing his own value. Alternatively, the speaker suggests that the youth made a mistake in choosing him as a recipient of his affection. Now that the youth has come to a clearer understanding, the “great gift” of his love is being returned.
The final couplet employs a poignant metaphor: the speaker’s experience of love was like a flattering dream. While asleep, he was a king, but upon waking, he realizes that his imagined fortune was never real. This ending emphasizes the theme of disillusionment and the transient nature of love.
Critical Analysis
1. Love as an Unequal Exchange
Shakespeare portrays love as a transaction in which one party gives more than the other. The speaker acknowledges that he was never truly deserving of the Fair Youth, and now the balance of power has shifted. The youth, realizing his worth, withdraws himself. This reflects a common theme in Shakespeare’s sonnets: love is not always reciprocal, and feelings can change when self-awareness grows.
2. The Legal and Economic Language of Love
The sonnet is heavily infused with legal and economic metaphors, suggesting that love, like property, can be given, taken away, or reassessed. The terms “charter,” “bonds,” “patent,” and “releasing” all suggest that love, rather than being a matter of pure emotion, is subject to contracts and ownership. This reinforces the idea that the speaker never truly owned the youth’s affection—he was merely granted temporary possession, which has now been revoked.
3. The Role of Self-Worth in Relationships
The sonnet suggests that the Fair Youth originally underestimated his own value and only now realizes that he is too good for the speaker. The phrase “thy self thou gavest, thy own worth then not knowing” implies that the youth’s love was given under false pretenses—he did not fully recognize his own superiority. The speaker, therefore, views their separation as inevitable: once the youth understood his worth, he reclaimed himself.
4. Love as an Illusion
The final couplet delivers one of Shakespeare’s most striking metaphors: love as a fleeting dream. While dreaming, the speaker imagined himself as a king, but upon waking, he realizes that it was all an illusion. This suggests that his relationship with the Fair Youth was never as real or secure as he had believed. The contrast between the dream world and waking life emphasizes the painful realization of loss.
Theme Analysis
1. The Transience of Love
Love in Sonnet 87 is not a permanent state but something that can be withdrawn when one party realizes their own value. The speaker’s farewell is melancholic but resigned—he understands that love, like a dream, cannot last forever.
2. Self-Worth and Power Dynamics in Relationships
The poem suggests that relationships can be influenced by how individuals perceive their own value. The Fair Youth initially gave himself to the speaker, but once he recognized his true worth, he withdrew his affection. This highlights the shifting power dynamics in love—when one person grows in self-awareness, the balance of the relationship can change.
3. Love as a Transaction
The frequent use of legal and financial language implies that love is not purely an emotional experience but also a contractual arrangement. The speaker sees himself as having temporarily possessed the youth, only to have that right revoked. This cynical view contrasts with the idealistic notion of love as selfless and unconditional.
4. The Illusion of Love
The metaphor of the dream in the final couplet suggests that love can be deceptive. The speaker felt powerful and secure in his relationship, much like a king in a dream. However, reality is starkly different—he wakes up to find that he has nothing. This theme of disillusionment is common in Shakespeare’s sonnets, particularly in those that deal with loss and unfulfilled love.
Literary Devices
1. Metaphor
- Legal and economic metaphors:
- “The charter of thy worth gives thee releasing” (The youth’s value gives him the right to revoke his affection)
- “My bonds in thee are all determinate” (The speaker’s emotional ties are legally void)
- “My patent back again is swerving” (His claim on the youth’s love has been canceled)
- Dream metaphor:
- “Thus have I had thee, as a dream doth flatter, / In sleep a king, but waking no such matter.” (The speaker compares his love to an illusion that vanishes upon waking)
2. Personification
- “The cause of this fair gift in me is wanting”
- The idea that the youth’s love was a gift with a cause suggests that love is something rational and deliberate, rather than spontaneous and emotional.
3. Irony
- The speaker once thought he possessed the youth, but in reality, he never truly did. His farewell is filled with the bitter irony that he was only granted love temporarily and now must return it.
4. Enjambment
- The lines flow into one another without heavy punctuation, mimicking the speaker’s continuous reflection and emotional resignation.
Conclusion
Sonnet 87 is a poignant farewell poem in which Shakespeare reflects on the nature of love, self-worth, and the impermanence of affection. The speaker acknowledges that the Fair Youth, realizing his own value, has withdrawn his love. Through legal and economic metaphors, Shakespeare presents love as a transaction rather than a pure emotional connection. The final metaphor of a dream reinforces the theme of disillusionment—what once felt real and secure was, in the end, merely an illusion.
This sonnet stands out as one of Shakespeare’s most sorrowful and introspective, highlighting the vulnerability of love and the inevitable pain of losing someone who was never truly ours to begin with.
