Analysis of Sonnet 116

Sonnet 116 is one of the famous romantic pieces of William Shakespeare. The theme of the sonnet is true love. The love that is always constant and that survives in all circumstances or in other words, immutable. The love that is not faded in time or vanished, because if it does, it means that it was never true love.

The first line of the stanza of this sonnet begins with ‘Let me not to the marriage of true minds Admit impediments; ’.  This opening line uses a language that would normally be used in a marriage ceremony. The speaker is saying that he will simply not admit that true love has limitations.  Here the speaker uses ‘marriage’ to refer to love as the communion of two perfect minds that are simply right for each other. Language devices has been used such as repetition and an emjambement. The repetition emphasises certain words such as ‘love’.An enjambement is also been used to grab the reader’s attention to the theme of true love by increased the pace of the sonnet and to move further into the sonnet.The speaker goes on saying ‘love is not love Which alters when it alteration finds Or bends with the remover to remove,’ This could be interpreted as that true love cannot change or ‘bend’ in any circumstances and if it does, its simply ‘not love’. The poet here has used a paradox to emphasise this idea: ‘love is not love’

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The second quatrain of the sonnet begins ‘O no, its an ever fixed mark That looks on tempests and is never shaken’. Here the voice is saying that love is a permanent mark that remains unstirred even in bad moments. This could be interpreted as the buoy in the sea that remains fixed in its place in any condition and that helps the ship to sail safely. This could mean that love keeps people safe. It is quite true, because no animal or human would ever kill or harm their loved ones in any circumstances. The pace that has ...

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