Summary Sonnet 31 expands upon the sentiment conveyed in the preceding sonnet’s concluding couplet, “But if the while I think on thee, dear friend, / All losses are restored and sorrows end.” In the present sonnet, the young man is a microcosm representing all the poet’s past lovers and friends; […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Sonnet 31Summary and Analysis Sonnet 30
Summary The poet repeats Sonnet 29’s theme, that memories of the youth are priceless compensations — not only for many disappointments and unrealized hopes but for the loss of earlier friends: “But if the while I think on thee, dear friend, / All losses are restored and sorrows end.” Stylistically, […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Sonnet 30Summary and Analysis Sonnet 29
Summary Resenting his bad luck, the poet envies the successful art of others and rattles off an impressive catalogue of the ills and misfortunes of his life. His depression is derived from his being separated from the young man, even more so because he envisions the youth in the company […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Sonnet 29Summary and Analysis Sonnet 28
Summary Images of absence, continued from the previous sonnet, show the poet at the point of emotional exhaustion and frustration due to his sleepless nights spent thinking about the young man. However, even though faced with the young man’s disinterest, the poet still refuses to break away from the youth. […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Sonnet 28Summary and Analysis Sonnet 27
Summary The poet describes himself as being “weary with toil” and trying to sleep. The somber mood announces a new phase in the relationship. In the first four lines, the poet likens his state of mind to traveling afar. Restlessly, he cannot sleep because his mind is filled with thoughts […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Sonnet 27Summary and Analysis Sonnet 26
Summary Sonnet 26 prepares for the young man’s absence from the poet, although the reason for this separation is not clear. The sonnet’s first two lines, “Lord of my love, to whom in vassalage / Thy merit hath my duty strongly knit,” show the poet’s submission to his love, using […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Sonnet 26Summary and Analysis Sonnet 25
Summary In Sonnet 25, which has as its theme mortality versus immortality, the poet contrasts himself with those “who are in favor with their stars,” implying that, though he is not numbered among those famous, fortunate people, their fame will not last, while his love will. Therefore, he is happy […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Sonnet 25Summary and Analysis Sonnet 24
Summary When the poet writes in Sonnet 24 of finding “where your true image pictured lies,” he focuses on a meaning of “true” in the sense of genuine as opposed to counterfeit. The young man’s beauty is often cast as a shape or appearance. Paintings, pictures, visual images, forms, shadows, […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Sonnet 24Summary and Analysis Sonnet 23
Summary Most of Sonnet 23 compares the poet’s role as a lover to an actor’s timidity onstage. The image of the poor theatrical player nervously missing his lines is the first indication that the poet doubts whether his love for the young man is requited. The first two lines of […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Sonnet 23Summary and Analysis Sonnet 22
Summary Until now, the poet’s feelings have soared to the level of rapture; in Sonnet 22, he suggests — perhaps deluding himself — that his affections are being returned by the youth. He declares that the youth’s beauty “Is but the seemly raiment of my heart, / Which in thy […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Sonnet 22