In the third and fourth line, Shakespeare explains what love isn’t. According to him, Love isn’t love, if it changes when the circumstances around it change: ‘which alters when it alteration finds’. Change is a very common thing, and consequently, the poet suggests that, obviously, change will come one way or the other, and if it truly is the Love that he refers to, it will never change – otherwise it was probably never Love in the first place. By suggesting that it doesn’t ‘bend with the remover to remove’, the poet is explaining the reader that it will never become less or more, if the “remover” interferes. By this, he is referring to someone else coming in between two “true minds” that are in Love. This certain someone won’t change the love between these two people; love won’t vary when someone tries to lure us away from our beloved.
Shakespeare sounds very convincing of what he is saying; he talks about the Love that is constant and strong. ‘O no, it is an ever-fixed mark’, the poet says. He links this phrase (which is the first in the second quatrain), to the phrase above of the first quatrain. By doing so, he introduces the element of Love he is going to be talking about in the 2nd quatrain, which is what Love actually means. He has created an interesting effect, which also keeps the reader intrigued and interested in reading on further to find out why this poet is so convinced about Love. This particular phrase emphasizes line 4, by saying that Love itself will absolutely never change. By saying, ‘o no’, he emphasizes this statement even more: Love will survive in any crisis.
The second quatrain is very effective, as it’s metaphorical. The poet wisely uses this metaphorical way of writing, so the reader clearly gets and understanding about the definitions of Love. As stated above, Love ‘ is an ever-fixed mark’; it is fixed forever, ‘that looks on the tempest and is never shaken’. It will ‘look’ at the storm, but the storm can’t undermine it. It’s as solid as a rock, because it will never be ‘shaken’. Shakespeare uses a very powerful word: ‘never’, which makes him sound even more convincing; he is so determined about what Love is. ‘It is the star’, which is also the ‘ever fixed-mark’, ‘to every wand’ ring bark.’ He compares Love to a star; it is bright and vibrant. The darker the night, the brighter the star, therefore, he is implying that when everything is going wrong, Love is there. He also compares the bark to the person/people in love; the star never changes, even though it can’t be seen by daylight; but when it is dark, it will guide you (the ship). The poet makes it clear to us that Love is a constant guide to us as we sail through life (the sea), but we can’t really see its true value, even if we can quantify Love somehow. It will remain a mystery, because Love’s actual worth will never be known. This is suggested in the phrase: ‘whose worth’s unknown, although his height taken.’ This is such a powerful phrase, because it goes beyond a human being’s mind, it is impossible to think about how great Love is. Again, this refers to the star, which is Love. As we know, the sun is a star, which we need in order to live. We cannot live without Love. The poet also makes the reader realize that we cannot put value on it. Near or far (‘although his height is taken’) it will never change size. This phrase is an example of an end-stopped line, which at the same time prepares the reader that the poet will be covering another aspect of Love in the following phrases.
The third quatrain covers the affects of Love. ‘Love’s not Time’s fool’ the poet states, which means Love is not fooled by Time, in other words, it won’t be affected by time and vice versa, ‘but it bears it out even to the edge of doom’. This is the definition of the nature of love; it is not ended by time, but lasts for eternity. When getting married, the couple is required to promise each other to love each other “till death due us part”, but Shakespeare is so convinced about what Love is, that he takes is one step further. He is confident enough to say that Love won’t even end after death, but will remain forever. ‘though rosy lips and cheeks Within his bending sickle's compass come.’ It won’t vary with time, even if the glow of youthfulness passes from our beloved’s face. Time might cut us down, and makes us older, but Love will never fade. In this quatrain, he sharpens the image giving it more attention, more detail and focusing on the one image for the length of the quatrain. In this section those things often associated with love "rosy lips and cheeks" - typical symbols of youth, beauty, and passion - are cut down by "Time's . . . sickle," but true love remains.
He sees the results much like a strong wind blowing in the trees, but cannot ever hold it in his hand or his mind's eye for that matter. However, to ensure that has successfully made his point, he closes with a self-proving heroic couplet. In the final couplet, the poet declares that, if he is mistaken about the constant, unmovable nature of perfect love, then he must take back all his writings on love, truth, and faith. Moreover, he adds that, if he has in fact judged love inappropriately, no man has ever really loved, in the ideal sense that the poet professes. The same way I was to say that if this essay is not a good example of an explication, then I've never written a paper in my life! This last couplet is designed to shut down all forms of opposition, and to secure all the things Shakespeare has said.
It is truly a remarkable sonnet. Because I get the impression that Shakespeare is so confident, it leaves a great statement on me, the reader. I am compelled by his ways of describing love, because he is using the language and images to construct the point to be made accurately; the images grow progressively sharper and more evolved as his concept of love grows somewhat clearer. Although in my opinion, it would seem that like all lovers, Shakespeare himself is left to point out effects or characteristics, without being able to literally say this or that is love. His language is very powerful throughout the poem: he uses words such as not (to indicate what Love NOT is) and never. This makes the sonnet very dramatic and powerful. He does use a lot of negative words (O no, not, never) almost making it seem as though he might not be that confident after all, but he does bring up beautiful statements about Love, which in return, brings that confidence up again. The poet puts forth an ideal of Love, which is rock-steady, as constant as the stars and even outlasts time.
Zinzi de Brouwer
Garde 12G
Maputo International School