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Critique of Sonnet 43

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SHAKESPEARE’S SONNETS

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Theme:      Chasing shadows.
Content:    A complicated sonnet that utilises word-shadowing, doubling-up and meaning reversals to convey the anxiety the author feels over the absence of the subject.

• The introduction of reversals where the author best sees when he winks and sees even more clearly when he sleeps and his eyes are completely closed.
• Additionally, darkness gives brightness in the repeated and reversed usage of those words.
• The Whens anticipate the later questioning How in reverse.
• The eyes that could best see reduce to just being able to look.

• Extensive word-shadowing represented by adjacent singular and plural of the same word (shadow shadows), to the adjacent same word (form form), to partial repetition (shadow's...show), to separated repetition (clear...clearer), to alliteration (shade shines, Then thou) that also partially repeats, in shade, the quatrain's dominating word: shadow. The key words literally cast shadows of themselves on the subsequent text.
• The shadows, thou, whose, would and When anticipate and follow the questioning How that repeats elsewhere, such as within show.
• The eyes' capability now reduces to unseeing, reflecting the progressive redundancy of the eyes.
• Each of these lines ends positively: bright, happy show, clearer light, shines so.

• be casts a shadow of itself into blessed.
• When and would repeats the reversed questioning How.
• The eyes are now sightless.

• when anticipates the questioning how within show.
• The conclusion of the reversal of reality from Q1 where days are nights and nights are days.
• No trace of eyes now, instead the dreams do all the showing.