The Place 2 Be: Shakespeare's Sonnets

Critique of Sonnet 143

SHAKESPEARE’S SONNETS

Theme: Will
Content: The theme of Sonnet 142 where the author loves the mistress while the mistress neglects him and woos others is developed here into a metaphorical fantasy of a housewife chasing fowl while the neglected baby chases her for attention.

Lo, as a careful housewife runs to catch
One of her feathered creatures broke away,
Sets down her babe and makes all swift dispatch
In pursuit of the thing she would have stay,

The fact that this is a simile of reality is alerted in the word as.

As a metaphor, the feathered creatures must be farmyard fowl who can break away but not fly away. It also indicates that the mistress has many other lovers.

Possible pun on the target of the mistress's pursuit being fowl/foul.

Possible pun on down, as in eiderdown,in light of feathered.

Possible pun on swift, as in the bird, in light of feathered creatures.

Possible pun in the thing, as in the sexual object of the mistress's sexual desire, used extensively elsewhere in Shakespeare.

The despising of Sonnet 141 has now become dispatch and discontent.

The thread of catching in this sonnet is reinforced by the several words with the c/k sound: careful, catch, creatures, broke, makes, neglected, Cries, catch, care, discontent, catch, back, kiss, kind, back, crying.

It is also reinforced, as is the separate thread of chasing, by the several words with the ch sound: catch, dispatch, child, chase, catch, which, which, catch.

Whilst her neglected child holds her in chase,
Cries to catch her whose busy care is bent
To follow that which flies before her face,
Not prizing her poor infant's discontent:

So runn'st thou after that which flies from thee,
Whilst I, thy babe, chase thee afar behind;
But if thou catch thy hope, turn back to me
And play the mother's part: kiss me, be kind.

Reality and the metaphor are now combined and the author portrays himself as a mere helpless baby completely at the mercy of his mistress, reconciled with the thought of the mistress eventually catching her hope, but still wanting her back after that.

So will I pray that thou mayst have thy Will
If thou turn back and my loud crying still.

Clever use of Will in that the mistress will have her will if she continues to pursue her other lovers but will also have her Will (the author by name) if she returns to him. She can literally have it both ways.

Will meaning the author's first name, the thing (the male sex organ) that the mistress was in pursuit of from others in Q1, her sexual desire, and her general wish.

No words with the ch sound in the couplet denoting the end of the chasing but c/k is represented, hopefully denoting the catch has been made by turning back and having the author.