The Place 2 Be: Shakespeare's Sonnets

Critique of Sonnet 82

SHAKESPEARE’S SONNETS

Theme: Rival Poet
Content: Attempt to distinguish both the author and subject from the author's Rivals via the shared quality of truth. Hardening of attitude by the author to his Rivals.

I grant thou wert not married to my muse,
And therefore mayst without attaint o'erlook
The dedicated words which writers use
Of their fair subject, blessing every book.

"I concede that you're not bound to me as your poet as though we were married. So, without intending to taint me, have approved verse that other poets have dedicated to you."

Alliterative exercise: married…my muse, words which writers, blessing…book.

Thou art as fair in knowledge as in hew,
Finding thy worth a limit past my praise,

"You are as wise as you are beautiful, such that I can not fully express it myself."

Humbles himself by saying his verse can not fully praise the subject, but also implies that the subject's mental faculty is so great that it is incapable of being fully praised.

Hew is used several times elsewhere in the sonnets (20, 67, 98, 104) and may be a pun on the subject's name (William Hughes? Mr. W.H. of the Sonnets Dedication? Henry Wriothesley, Shakespeare's patron?)

And therefore art enforced to seek anew
Some fresher stamp of these time-bettering days.

"So need to look to other poets to better praise you."

Things seem to be pretty bad between the author and subject with the subject enforced to seek anew. The author is blaming himself for the subject having to look elsewhere.

And do so, love; yet when they have devised
What strained touches rhetoric can lend,

"Go ahead, but when my rivals provide their strained verse…"

Thou, truly fair, wert truly sympathized
In true plain words by thy true-telling friend;

"…you will see that you were best lauded by me."

Heavy emphasis on the author's own dignity, integrity, honesty, and truthfulness being more properly suited to the subject in an avalanche of true and t words. Trueness is the quality equally assigned to the subject, his character, the author, and his verse, and evenly placed within the structure of the end of this quatrain.

And their gross painting might be better used
Where cheeks need blood: in thee it is abused.

"My rivals' gross verse is more suitable for those bereft of any colour rather than you."

Humbles himself as an author who uses his literary excellence to only reflect in verse the qualities that the subject already has, as opposed to the Rivals who gaudily paint their subject and in so doing ruin it.

The gloves are now off: having flattered his rivals in previous sonnets he classifies them as gaudy painters now.

Portrays his subject as used and abused by his Rivals in the final couplet rhyme.