The Place 2 Be: Shakespeare's Sonnets

Critique of Sonnet 47

SHAKESPEARE’S SONNETS

Theme: Visual & Heartfelt Love
Content: The resolution of the courtroom battle of Sonnet 46 between eye and heart where the subject is shared equally between the two.

Betwixt mine eye and heart a league is took,
And each doth good turns now unto the other.

The principle of distance continues from Sonnets 44 & 45, developing from foot and miles into league.

The courtroom battle of Sonnet 46 between eye and heart now also resolves into good turns now unto the other.

When that mine eye is famished for a look,
Or heart in love with sighs himself doth smother,
With my love's picture then my eye doth feast,
And to the painted banquet bids my heart.
Another time mine eye is my heart's guest
And in his thoughts of love doth share a part.

picture and love are the main features of this sonnet and are distributed evenly (3 times each) between the eye and the heart.

heart is phonetically represented in part.

eye is phonetically represented in time, mine, sighs.

So either by thy picture or my love,
Thyself away art present still with me;
For thou no farther than my thoughts canst move,
And I am still with them, and they with thee;

A repeat of the principle that though the subject may be physically distant, they cannot be far from the author's thoughts.

eye is phonetically represented in either.

heart is phonetically represented in art and is hidden within farther.

There are 6 explicit references to heart in this sonnet but only 5 of eye: the sixth eye is synonymously represented in I.

Or if they sleep, thy picture in my sight
Awakes my heart to heart's and eye's delight.

eye is phonetically represented in sight and delight.