Sonnet 116 Analysis - Literary devices and Poetic devices

Sonnet 116: Let Me Not to The Marriage of True Minds

Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Admit impediments. Love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove.
O no! it is an ever-fixed mark
That looks on tempests and is never shaken;
It is the star to every wand’ring bark,
Whose worth’s unknown, although his height be taken.
Love’s not Time’s fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
Within his bending sickle’s compass come;
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
But bears it out even to the edge of doom.
If this be error and upon me prov’d,
I never writ, nor no man ever lov’d.

Summary of Sonnet 116: Let Me Not to The Marriage of True Minds

Popularity of “Sonnet 116”: Written by William Shakespeare, a famous English poet, and playwright, “Sonnet 116” is a celebrated love poem. The sonnet captures the truth, sensitivity, and joy of true love. It also shows how love casts a magic spell on those who wholeheartedly embrace it. “Sonnet 116” has become popular because it portrays love as an enduring and unchangeable commitment between two people.
“Sonnet 116” As a Representative of True Love: This sonnet sings praises for infinite love. It begins when the speaker claims that nothing can come between two lovers. He adds that love is not true if it changes during trying times. He compares love to a lighthouse that remains steadfast even during deadly storms. Also, it is like stars that help the wandering sailors. As the poem continues, he explains how the beauty of a woman diminishes in time, but love remains the same. Love passes all tests of time until death arrives to set two people apart. The poem closes where the speaker reinforces the idea of true love, saying that no man has truly loved if his claims about love are wrong.
Major Themes in “Sonnet 116”: The nature of relationships, love, and death are some of the major themes of this sonnet. Shakespeare delves deep into the definition of true love. He tries to present the notion of love that has the power to battle with time. By bringing the element of time into his discussion, Shakespeare emphasizes that even though everything changes with time, love doesn’t. Throughout the poem, the speaker seems honest and confident about his opinion. He asserts no man has ever tasted the fruit of true love if he is wrong. Through this love sonnet, Shakespeare conveys that one needs to be true, real, and honest to make his love everlasting.

Analysis of Literary Devices Used in Sonnet 116: Let Me Not to The Marriage of True Minds

literary devices are tools that refurbish the simple writings of the writers. Shakespeare has also used many devices in the poem to make it a treat for the readers. The analysis of the devices used in the poem is as follows.

Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /o/ in “Whose worth’s unknown, although his height be taken” and the sound of /e/ in “Or bends with the remover to remove.”
Allegory: It is a figure of speech in which abstract ideas and principles are described in terms of characters, figures, and events. This is an allegoric poem that speaks about the importance of true love.
Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /r/ in “Or bends with the remover to remove” and the sound of /t/ in “Admit impediments. Love is not love.”
Enjambment: It is defined as a thought in verse that does not come to an end at a line break; rather, it rolls over to the next line. For example;

“Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Admit impediments. Love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove.”

Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. Shakespeare has used imagery in this poem such as, “Or bends with the remover to remove” and “Love’s not Time’s fool, though rosy lips and cheeks.”
Metaphor: It is a figure of speech in which an implied comparison is made between objects that are different in nature. The poet has used the extended metaphor of love to show the true meaning of love.
Personification: Personification is to give human qualities to inanimate objects. The poet has personified love in the second quatrain of the poem, such as;

“Love’s not Time’s fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
Within his bending sickle’s compass come.”

Symbolism: Symbolism uses symbols to signify ideas and qualities, giving them symbolic meanings that are different from the literal ones. The poem shows symbols such as love, truth, and confidence.

Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in Sonnet 116: Let Me Not to The Marriage of True Minds

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.

Couplet: There are two constructive lines of verse in a couplet, usually in the same meter and joined by rhyme. This sonnet ends with a couplet, which usually reveals the poem’s central idea.
End Rhyme: The end Rhyme is used to make the stanza melodious. Shakespeare has used end rhyme in this poem, such as; “Cheeks/weeks”, “minds/finds” and “mark/bark.”
Iambic Pentameter: It is a type of meter having five iambs per line. The poem follows iambic pentameter: “Let me not to the marriage of true minds.”
Rhyme Scheme: The poem follows ABABCDCD in octave and EFEFGG in its sestet.
Quatrain: A quatrain is a four-lined stanza borrowed from Persian poetry. Here each stanza is quatrain as the first one and the second one.
Sonnet: A sonnet is a fourteen-lined poem usually written in iambic pentameter. This Shakespearean sonnet consists of three quatrains and a couplet.

Quotes to be Used

The following lines are useful to define true love and how it brings color to someone’s life.