Sonnet 130 Essay, Research Paper

Sonnet 130-William Shakespeare’sShakespeare always wrote in such a way that his writing inspires its’ readers. It was not surprising how Shakespeare is considered by many scholars as, “…a magnificent play write…” or “… a superb poet whose talents cannot be matched, even to this day.” Aside from all his plays, I am infatuated with his sonnets, particularly 116. My reasons for choosing Sonnet 116 above all Shakespeare’s other sonnets are very strange. I believe what captivated me is the first line of the poem, as well as the comparisons and hyperbole’s used in this sonnet. It starts off by stating that how “the marriage of true minds” is flawless. “Flawless!” you say. I believe this is the typical first reaction of all the people who read Sonnet 116. In this world, nothing is flawless, which includes love. But Shakespeare makes it clear by defining what flawless means by saying, “Love is not love / Which alters when it alteration finds…” (line 2-3) In these lines and through out the sonnet, he continues to defined flawless as being unchanging regardless of what happens, “O, no! It is an ever-fixed mark / That looks on tempests and is never shaken…” (line 4-5) But regardless of what the content of the sonnet may be, it would have been useless without the first radical statement, “marriage of true minds…flawless.”

Moreover, his uses of comparisons of forever love to odd objects that we would not commonly associate with love captivated me even more. In line 6, Shakespeare begins to weave his charming personality into the sonnet. He compares the “marriage of true minds” to “the star of every wandering bark,” which states that there is one true love for every man out there in the world like a boat to the North Star. On top of which, his delightful images of forever love were reinforced through lines 8-11. Finally, Shakespeare’s witty comment, “If this be error and upon me prove, / I never write, nor man ever loved.” fascinated me with his character. Even at this moment of passion, he comments by saying I am one hundred percent correct. On one hand, it proved that he was not a man of modesty. But it also proved that he was a man who knows when a little bit of humor can loosen a tight situation. Through one insignificant poem, I had a chance to analyze Shakespeare’s personality. But above all, I had the chance to see him for how he is and not how inspiration clouded his personality. Therefore, I believe that this poem is my favorite out of all his sonnets.