Sonnet 141

«

»

Sonnet 141

File:Sonnet 141 1609.jpg

Sonnet 141 in the 1609 Quarto.

In faith, I do not love thee with mine eyes,
For they in thee a thousand errors note,
But 'tis my heart that loves what they despise,
Who in despite of view is pleased to dote.
Nor are mine ears with thy tongue's tune delighted,
Nor tender feeling to base touches prone,
Nor taste, nor smell, desire to be invited
To any sensual feast with thee alone;
But my five wits nor my five senses can
Dissuade one foolish heart from serving thee,
Who leaves unswayed the likeness of a man,
Thy proud heart's slave and vassal wretch to be.
Only my plague thus far I count my gain,
That she that makes me sin awards me pain.

–William Shakespeare

Sonnet 141 is the informal name given to the 141st of William Shakespeare's 154 sonnets. The theme of the sonnet is the discrepancy between the poet's physical senses and wits (intellect) on the one hand and his heart on the other. The "five wits" that are mentioned refer to the mental faculties of common sense, imagination, judgement and memory. The sonnet is one of several in which the poet's heart is infatuated despite what his eyes can see.

Context

Though Sonnet 141 was published for the first time in the 1609 Quarto entitled, SHAKE-SPEARES SONNETS, it is not immediately clear when the poem was actually written. Scholars have attempted to date the sonnets by considering their subject, Mr. WH, as a reference point. The poems of the fair youth sequence (of which sonnet 141 is not) address a young man, one who is about 18 according to Samuel Butler. For instance, if it is to be believed that Lord Southampton is Mr. WH, then the sequence would have been started around 1591, when Lord Southampton was 18. If Mr. WH is William Pembroke, then the sonnets probably date between 1598 and 1601. However, to be any more specific than this is difficult, for there is much debate as to whether the order the sonnets in the 1609 Quarto is actually correct. Thus, we can only approximate when the sequence as a whole was begun and finished.

The Dark Lady

Sonnet 141 is part of the sequence (sonnets 127-152) directed at the so-called Dark Lady. The Dark Lady sonnets are much more sexual than their Fair Youth counterparts, and this is readily apparent in sonnet 141. Much has been made in scholarly circles about the sarcastic and abrasive tone of the dark lady sonnets. However, there has not been much consent traditionally as to what Shakespeare's coarse tone can tell us. Some scholars have tried to equivocate Shakespeare's apparent ambivalence and distaste for women so as to downplay the homoerotic nature of the Fair Youth sequence. Others see Shakespeare's style as a response to Petrarchan sonnets in which an ideal female subject is lauded. Katherine Duncan-Jones writes "Instead of exploring the subtle and complex effect on the speaker of an obsession with a chaste and high-born lady who can never be possessed physically, 127-[1]52 offer backhanded praise of a manifestly non-aristocratic woman who is neither young, beautiful, intelligent nor chaste, but… provides a perfectly adequate outlet for male desire".

Paraphrasing and Summary

Original-
In faith, I do not love thee with mine eyes,
For they in thee a thousand errors note,
But 'tis my heart that loves what they despise,
Who in despite of view is pleased to dote.
Nor are mine ears with thy tongue's tune delighted,
Nor tender feeling to base touches prone,
Nor taste, nor smell, desire to be invited
To any sensual feast with thee alone;
But my five wits nor my five senses can
Dissuade one foolish heart from serving thee,
Who leaves unswayed the likeness of a man,
Thy proud heart's slave and vassal wretch to be.
Only my plague thus far I count my gain,
That she that makes me sin awards me pain.

Paraphrasing-
I Swear, I do not love you with my eyes
For they see all of your errors and imperfections
Yet my heart loves what my eyes dislike
And my heart, despite your looks, is pleased to love you without judgement
My ears are not delighted by the sound of your voice
Nor my delicate sense of touch eager to feel you
Neither taste nor smell trigger my desire
To indulge my senses with you
But my five senses and five wits cannot
Dissuade my foolish heart from being your servant
My empty body stands behind uncontrolled
While my heart is your lowly, wretched slave
I only gain one thing by being plagued with love for you
The woman who makes me sin rewards me with torment

In Sonnet 141, Shakespeare discusses his desires for the woman that conflict with what his senses tell him. He is aware of all of her physical flaws, does not enjoy her voice, smell, or touch, but his heart is still completely enthralled by her. His focus on sense is overwhelming in the poem, but his senses cannot prevent him from loving her. The pain he endures for loving her is soothing, and he feels like he is a slave to it.

Form

The structure of Sonnet 141 is typical of the era in which it was written. The sonnet’s rhyme scheme is ababcdcdefefgg. The poem is written in iambic pentameter. Such a poem - one with 14 lines and the aforementioned rhythm and rhyme scheme - is often called a Shakespearean Sonnet. However, Shakespeare did not invent either the sonnet form or this particular variation. Sonnets originated in Italy, and the sonnet form known as English or Shakespearean was pioneered by Thomas Wyatt and Henry Howard Earl of Surrey during the middle of the 16th century.

Although Sonnet 141 is written in iambic pentameter, the lines are not without variation in rhythm. For instance, lines five and thirteen both begin with inversions, wherein the first iamb is reversed. Thus, the line begins with a stressed syllable that is followed by two unstressed syllables and then another stressed syllable. Line five also contains a pyrrhus and a spondee, or a foot of two unstressed syllables and a foot of two stressed syllables respectively.

Additionally, line five contains eleven syllables instead of the ten typical of a line in iambic pentameter. This final extra syllable is unstressed. A line that ends with an extra unstressed syllable is said to have a feminine ending. Much like inversions, feminine endings were used fairly often during Shakespeare’s time as a variant of the standard iambic line. The reason for a poet’s straying from the parameters of strict iambic pentameter can be several. Such variations can be added to assure a swell or fall in a particular place - to draw emphasis to a certain word or phrase that the poet would like to stress. Or, different rhythms can be used simply for variety’s sake.

Another notable structural aspect of Sonnet 141 is the switch in tone and content that occurs at line nine. The first eight lines are primarily concerned with the speakers mistress’s imperfections, whereas the last six lines focus on the speaker’s love. This switch in content is known as a volta, and it is typical of the sonnet form during Shakespeare’s time.

Analysis

Though Sonnet 141 is seemingly focused on the speaker’s mistress’s physical faults, it is also part of a series in which there is much focus on the woman’s promiscuity. Thus, the word “errors” in line two, in addition to referring to her physical faults, may also refer to moral errors. The phrase “base touches” in line six suggests sordid or unpleasing sexual encounters. The final phrase of line 8 “makes the sexual application clear: while a literal feast would require the presence of many guests, this is a private banquet with thee alone”. “Serving” in line 10 also has a sexual connotation, as in serving a lover in “sexual obeisance”. Finally, the “pain” of the last line could be mental, but it could also be physical if the speaker contracts a venereal disease.

Sonnet 141 also addresses the idea that love strips a person of identity. David West writes “In line 10 [the] heart leaves to become a vassal slave of the Black Lady, a condition [Shakespeare] has experienced already in Sonnet 133, and under the young man in Sonnets 57-8. What [the] heart leaves behind is not a man, but only the likeness of a man, ‘unswayed’, under no sway, with no heart to govern it”. Edward Dowden provides this gloss of lines 11 and 12: "My heart ceases to govern me, and leaves me no better than the likeness of a man - a man without a heart - in order that it may become slave to thy proud heart".

Finally, the poem's couplet is often misunderstood. "The basis of the conceit here is the idea of a soul's term of imprisonment in purgatory" writes Stephen Booth. Samuel Butler provides this adept gloss: “I shall suffer less for my sin hereafter for I get some of the punishment coincidentally with the offense”. However, even if we accept this meaning, writes Booth, there is still much debate as to how well the couplet relates thematically to the rest of the poem.

See also

• Five wits
• Shakespeare's sonnets
• Paul Edmondson
• Mark Mirsky