Theme:      Rival Poet
Content:    Admitting the current loss of his muse (reflected in this sonnet itself) compared to his Rival's industry in writing polished verse to their subject. A tired reworking of previous words and threads.

• A return to self-effacement (tongue-tied of 80) and exceptionally generous acknowledgement of the talents of his Rival: rich, golden and precious.
• The author is represented in just 1 line of this quatrain and the Rival in 3 lines.

• The author has now transformed from being tongue-tied to now being able to speak "Amen".
• The Rival's qualities have now diminished to good, able, polished and a well-refined pen (C.f. "rude ignorance" / "learned" of 78).
• The author's representation has now increased to 2 lines and the Rival's diminished to 2.5.
• Pun on the author's abilities in unlettered clerk: not having any letters of worth to compile fine verse with, and not being as highly qualified as his Rival.
• The Rival is identified as singular in other and spirit, typical of 2 poets competing for a patron.
• The 1609 Quarto spelling of this sonnet has other not others.
• Reference to spirit, as per 80, may allude to George Chapman again as the Rival who claimed the spirit of Homer directly inspired him.

• The author has now transformed from saying just "Amen" to being able to say more.
• The Rival's qualities have now diminished further to be someone who just gives praise.
• The author's representation has now increased to 4 lines and the Rival's diminished to two halves of lines.
• Use of rank in this competing scenario to aggrandise himself by way of the thoughts of love that he still holds for his subject as before.
• The inferior rank of the author's words though is reaffirmed in the word hindmost: "hind" meaning "situated at the rear" and in another sense it means "simple peasant" (C.f. "rude ignorance" of 78).

• The author has now completed the transformation from being tongue-tied to speaking but paradoxically only speaking in effect.
• The Rival's qualities have diminished to just needing respect.
• Return to the author describing himself as dumb as in 78 & 83.
• Return to the breath imagery of 81.