Theme: Foolish Heart
Content: There is literally no sense in the author loving his mistress: his five senses and five wits allegedly gain no sensual or intellectual pleasure from her. But his foolish heart is committed to her.
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.
- Numbers abound in this sonnet that centres on the 5 senses and 5 wits. Numbers are explicit and phonetically suggested: thousand, two (to), five, one, prone, ten (tender)
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;
- The 5 senses of sight, hearing, touch, taste and smell are represented in the first 2 quatrains.
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.
- The 5 wits are faculties of the mind and are: Common Sense, Imagination, Fantasy, Estimation and Memory. Referred to many times in Shakespeare's plays and elsewhere such as Stephen Hawes (1475-1511) in his The Passe-tyme of Pleasure (1509): “These are the five witts removyng inwardly: First, 'Common witte,' and then 'Ymagination', 'Fantasy' and 'Estimation' truely. And 'Memory.'”
- Dissuade morphs to unswayed.
- The author has a foolish heart whilst the mistress has a proud heart.
- The author is now portrayed as a slave and serving vassal to the mistress and someone who is only the likeness of a man.
- The wits may have morphed into wretch.
Only my plague thus far I count my gain:
That she that makes me sin
awards me pain.
- The five senses have now morphed into sin.
Critical text © NigelDavies.home@Virgin.net