The Place 2 Be: Shakespeare's Sonnets

Critique of Sonnet 74

SHAKESPEARE’S SONNETS

Theme: Death
Content: Contemplation of (Petrarchan) death & judging his worth by what he leaves behind. An appeal for his sonnet to be his memorial to his lover rather than his corporal destiny.

But be contented when that fell arrest
Without all bail shall carry me away.

"Don’t fret when death comes to take me away."

Death likened to an arresting officer who will permanently imprison him.

This is a th-sonnet with plentiful use of words beginning, ending and containing th.

My life hath in this line some interest,
Which for memorial still with thee shall stay.

"My memorial will be this love-letter to you."

Nice counterpoint in the rhyme of away with stay.

th alliteration continues.

When thou reviewest this, thou dost review
The very part was consecrate to thee.
The earth can have but earth, which is his due;
My spirit is thine, the better part of me.

"My words are my dedication to you."

"Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, but my spirit is what matters and it is yours."

Another reference to his works/spirit being better than himself: the better part of me.

th alliteration continues.

So then thou hast but lost the dregs of life,
The prey of worms, my body being dead,
The coward conquest of a wretch's knife,
Too base of thee to be remembered.

"My dead body should not be what you should remember."

But a rather graphic description of his decomposing body, with those dreaded worms again, that would be difficult not to remember. No angels, choirs or after-life with Shakespeare: death is the very final Act and Scene and only what he leaves behind has any future.

Subtle alliteration of contradictory words in coward conquest.

The coward conquest of a wretch's knife could well refer to the death of Christopher Marlowe.

th alliteration continues.

The worth of that is that which it contains,
And that is this, and this with thee remains.

"It’s not the vessel (my body) that matters, but what it held and created."

th alliteration heavily concludes.

contented...consecrate...conquest...contains threads the theme of con ("togetherness") through the sonnet.

re threads throughout the sonnet too emphasising the repetition.

The worms of Q3 morph to worth in the couplet.

Possible final pun on remains meaning what is left and bodily remains.