Sonnet 111

Sonnet 111: O, for my sake do you with Fortune chide

By William Shakespeare

O, for my sake do you with Fortune chide,
The guilty goddess of my harmful deeds,
That did not better for my life provide
Than public means which public manners breeds.
Thence comes it that my name receives a brand,
And almost thence my nature is subdu’d
To what it works in, like the dyer’s hand.
Pity me then and wish I were renew’d;
Whilst, like a willing patient, I will drink
Potions of eisel ‘gainst my strong infection;
No bitterness that I will bitter think,
Nor double penance, to correct correction.
Pity me then, dear friend, and I assure ye
Even that your pity is enough to cure me.

Summary of Sonnet 111

  • Popularity of “Sonnet 111”: Published in the Quarto of 1609, this sonnet falls among those 154 sonnets of Shakespeare which all appeared in this quarto. This sonnet follows the same Shakespearean rhyme scheme and iambic pentameter but with a different main idea. The main idea of this sonnet is the youth’s pity on the speaker that is supposed to cure him of the pollutants he has caught from the lowly world. This has made the sonnet popular across the globe.
  • “Sonnet 111” As a Representative of Poetic Art and Its Qualities: The sonnet addresses the fair youth in this sonnet saying his fortune has brought him public contact due to which he has learned the manners of the commoners. Interestingly, this is a twisted logic, the poet says, which is that he has won success from this but like the hands of a cloth dyer. It is because that dyer has the color of several people with him. However, it is a matter of pity and he could be treated. The poet agrees that he would be willing to become the patient of the youth adding that he would be ready to take a potion to end this infection and this lies in the pity of his friend as only this pity could correct him.
  • Major Themes in “Sonnet 111”: Love, apologetic behavior, and corrupting influence of the writing career or profession are some major themes of this sonnet. Although the sonnet occurs in the Fair Youth sequence, it seems to have been set apart from others in that it just talks about the profession of the poet. Shakespeare’s own reference shows that he must have some good friends to whose apology he seeks for having joined this profession which has corrupted his behavior. The apology ends on the point that his friend must pity him and befriend him again. This action of his friend will treat mistakes in behavior. Therefore, this love seems to be heterosexual, yet it has strong imprints of intimacy.

Analysis of Literary Devices Used in Sonnet 111

William Shakespeare used various literary devices to enhance the intended impact of his poem. Some of the major literary devices are analyzed below.

  1. Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /a/ and /e/ in “Than public means which public manners breeds” and the sound of /o/ in “Potions of eisel ‘gainst my strong infection.”
  2. Alliteration: Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line in quick successions, such as the sound of /g/ in “guilty goddess” and /k/ in “correct correction.”
  3. Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /g/ and /d/ in “The guilty goddess of my harmful deeds” and the sound of /t/ in “No bitterness that I will bitter think.”
  4. Enjambment: It means to roll over one verse to the next without a pause or punctuation mark. The sonnet shows the use of enjambment, such as;

Thence comes it that my name receives a brand,
And almost thence my nature is subdu’d
To what it works in, like the dyer’s hand.

  1. Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. William Shakespeare used imagery in this poem, such as “Pity me then and wish I were renew’d”, “No bitterness that I will bitter think” and “Even that your pity is enough to cure me.”
  2. Metaphor: It is a figure of speech in which an implied comparison is made between objects that are different in nature. The poet used the metaphor of Fortune, presenting it as a living being but a guilty goddess.
  3. Personification: It means to attribute human emotions and passions to inanimate objects. The poet personified Fortune, presenting it as a human being-like creature.
  4. Simile: It is a direct comparison of things to clarify the meanings of the thing being compared. The poem shows the use of a simile such as “like a willing patient” that the poet thinks he will be before his friend.
  5. Symbolism: Symbolism is using symbols to signify ideas and qualities, giving them symbolic meanings that are different from the literal meanings. The sonnet shows symbols such as day, love, grief, and misery to show the situation of human beings wanting more and feeling sorrowful.

Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in Sonnet 111

Poetic and literary devices are the same, but a few are used only in poetry. Here is an analysis of some of the poetic devices used in this poem.

  1. Diction: It means the type of language. The sonnet shows good use of formal and poetic diction.
  2. End Rhyme: It means to use verses having matching end words such as chide/provide and deeds/breeds.
  3. Quatrain: It is a Persian stanza having four verses. The sonnet shows the use of a quatrain such as the first one.
  4. Rhyme Scheme: This Shakespearean sonnet shows ABAB in quatrains and AA in the couplet.
  5. Stanza: A stanza is a poetic form of some lines. There are three quatrains and a couplet.
  6. Sonnet: It is a poem having fourteen lines. This poem is a sonnet.
  7. Tone: It means the voice of the text. The poem shows a suggestive, coaxing, and palliative tone.

Quotes to be Used

The following lines are useful to quote when the remedy of a broken friendship.

No bitterness that I will bitter think,
Nor double penance, to correct correction.
Pity me then, dear friend, and I assure ye
Even that your pity is enough to cure me.

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