Theme:      Loss of Patron
Content:    A reworking of 88 that shares the same theme, key words and doubling of words. Asking for explanation of where he went wrong whilst re-affirming his loyalty to his former, and silent, patron.

• "Please tell me where I went wrong."
• The author evidently does not know why his subject is rejecting him - the subject is not saying why.
• Doubling in that/thou, forsake/for some, comment/offence, offence/defence, my/thy.
• Affirmation of the author's identity and ego in I will and I straight will.
• Contrasting coupling of the author's contradictory positions in offence and defence.
• Lameness here has no relevance to any actual physical disability. The author means that if his patron tells him that he is lame then he will immediately start limping (halt = old English "to limp").
• The meter of the first three lines is deliberately dissonant and harsh, perhaps representing the "lameness" referred to and perhaps being a pun on the stressed feet of the verse being corrupted by the limping that lameness brings. The 4th line then resumes proper iambic pentameter. There may be deliberate ambiguity here in use of the word halt representing the misunderstandings that the author and subject have throughout this sonnet. In one sense, the subject's, if he speaks of the author's lameness then he expects the author to limp. In the other sense, the author's, if the subject speaks of the author's lameness then the author will stand straight and stop appearing to be lame. Hence, the meter is corrected from the 4th line onward as the author's interpretation prevails.
  

• "You can not disgrace me half as much as I could myself if I knew your reasoning."
• Doubling in not/knowing, disgrace/disgrace, ill/will, ill/I'll, myself/thy will, will/will, strangle/strange.
• Clear puns on the author's own name in me half so ill, thy will and I will, especially as each are stressed syllables.
• There are 2 views here of the author: the unknown view of him by the subject and his own view of himself. thy will represents the subject's version of "Will" which is adjacent to the author's view of himself in I will.
• In the Quarto, this section is spelled: "...knowing thy wil, I will...". In fact, everywhere else in the sonnet will is properly spelled will. I do not believe this variant spelling of wil / will is a publisher's error - it is deliberate.
• The subject's version of Will is thy wil: distorted and incomplete. The author's version of Will is I will: correct and complete.
• This change in the subject's perception of the author, echoed by the change in the spelling of the author's own name, is supported by the preceding line: To set a form upon desired change.
• This is also reinforced by the line that follows: I will acquaintance strangle and look strange. The author, who feels strangulated, will appear strange because of the loss of the l in strangle. Equally, he will appear strange (and be incomplete) because of the loss of the l in his own name Will / Wil.
• The rhyming of ill with will emphasises the personal confused trauma the author is experiencing.
• The rhyming of change with strange emphasises the strange emotions the author is feeling in light of the unexplained change of view the subject has of the author.

• "I will not insult you by recalling our past association to others."
• Doubling in Be absent/beloved, shall/dwell, shall/should, name/profane.
• At the end of this sentence the acquaintance is himself and his subject; at line 8 the acquaintance is himself and strangle indicating the subject is the strangler.
• Reveals that his association with his patron was a little more than just literary: they seem to have socialised a little aswell.
• The author has progressed from being tongue-tied in earlier sonnets to now being wrong-tongued.

• Powerful ending introducing as strong an emotion as hate.
• Doubling in For thee/For I, vow/thou, love/hate.
• Speaks of himself in the 3rd. person as someone he must defend his patron against.
• In contrast to the subject's failure to say why he's rejected the author in the first line, the author here offers to engage in debate on the subject's behalf. The only one doing the talking is the author.