Analysis of Sonnet 139
Silence is golden. Although this is a trite comment about the value of soundlessness, it often rings true. However, silence can also be used as a weapon to inflict heavy amounts of emotional damage. Supposing a wife cheated on her husband and decided to keep silent about the whole event, but the husband found out about the affair through a good friend of his, what then? The husband, if he is more of the timid persuasion, will most likely keep silent about it, in hopes that his wife will approach him and confess. If this never happens though, a heavy burden is laid on the couple's hearts. The same case is found in "Sonnet 139" by William Shakespeare. The poet, in a silent plea to the infamous Dark Lady, asks that the silence be lifted and the truth be uncovered. The poem uses iambic pentameter and alternating rhyme to pattern itself, the only exception being the last two verses which combine to form a heroic couplet. The poet places the accents on the words that express pain, which gives the sonnet a feeling of struggle and heartbreak. The poem is centered on the heart of the poet, who is most likely Shakespeare himself, and the feelings surrounding his psyche. Essentially, the poem is written in such a way that one m
In this part of the poem, Shakespeare addresses the Dark Lady as "Dear heart," although it is understood that this poem is taking place inside of his head. He wonders why she bothers to "glance [her] eye aside" when she could save herself the all this trouble. The next couplet is a rhetorical question that seems to puzzle the poet. Why does the Dark Lady continue to plague his heart, when a few words could end it all? "What need'st [her] wound with cunning," when all her power is more then his "defence can bide." Shakespeare knows that he will not be able to do anything when she reveals her feelings. The pain he will feel will most likely crush him. The poem opens with the line, "O! call not me to justify the wrong/ That thy unkindness lays upon my heart." Shakespeare is merely telling the Dark Lady that if anything is to be said about the affair, it will not be coming from his lips. The "unkindness" which lies upon his heart cannot be let go of because the air has not been cleared. He feels that she is putting him through excruciating pain having not said a word at all. He pleads with her to "wound [him] not with [her] eye", but instead, with her own words. In reading the next two lines, it is apparent that the Dark Lady has a certain power over the poet, and the reader is well aware that Shakespeare is not the "rock" of the relationship. "Use power with power, and slay me not with art." The power that the Dark Lady has over the poet is incredible, and he wants the power to be used to break the silence. He is sick of the secrecy that surrounds
Some common words found in the essay are:
Dark Lady, , Lady Shakespeare, Lady Dear, dark lady, Dark Lady's, William Shakespeare, heroic couplet, lays heart, accents words,
Approximate Word count = 1061
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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