Sonnet 147: My Love Is as A Fever, Longing Still
My love is as a fever, longing still
For that which longer nurseth the disease,
Feeding on that which doth preserve the ill,
Th’ uncertain sickly appetite to please.
My reason, the physician to my love,
Angry that his prescriptions are not kept,
Hath left me, and I desperate now approve
Desire is death, which physic did except.
Past cure I am, now reason is past care,
And frantic-mad with evermore unrest;
My thoughts and my discourse as madmen’s are,
At random from the truth vainly expressed:
For I have sworn thee fair, and thought thee bright,
Who art as black as hell, as dark as night.
Summary of Sonnet 147: My Love Is as A Fever, Longing Still
- Popularity of “Sonnet 147”: Written by William Shakespeare, a famed English writer, and poet, “Sonnet 147” is a part of a series of sonnets he wrote to address “The Dark Lady.” The poem compares love to an illness that deprives a person of thinking or acting logically. However, it portrays love as an obsession that leads a person to painful and unhealthy experiences. The poem earned him global praise for its unique representation of love as something dark and bitter.
- “Sonnet 147” As a Representative of Dark Love: This sonnet accounts for the negative side of love. It begins when the speaker compares his love to the illness constantly plaguing him, but he desires to remain in the same sickening situation. Although he experiences irrational happenings, he does not want to get rid of them. His sense of reason jumps in to treat him as a doctor. But unfortunately, he does not follow any of its advice. He further adds that the doctor advised him that his wild desires are going to kill him, but he does not care. As the theme moves forward, he explains his painful condition that this love has made him frantic, restless, and anxious. He also compares himself to a madman who sprouts out senseless and meaningless words. Toward the end, Shakespeare addresses the dark lady, telling her that her poisonous entry into his life has made him stand on the verge of ruination.
- Major Themes in “Sonnet 147”: The poem’s major themes are the destructive power of love, suffering, pain, and insanity. The poem revolves around a lady that has brought ruination to the speaker. Her passion has made him insane that he does not even care about his alarming situation. Yet, ironically, he goes into the deep well of love that is constantly taking him away from the glories of life. Despite knowing the result of his insanity, he prefers staying in the same situation. He willingly rejects the notion of positivity that keeps on harming him. Instead, he wrestles with logic and reason for the sake of dark love. In other words, the speaker says that love possesses a destructive power. It can make a healthy person mad and numb.
Analysis of Literary Devices Used in Sonnet 147: My Love Is as A Fever, Longing Still
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.
- Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line such as the sound of /e/ in “Hath left me, and I desperate now approve” and the sound of /i/ in “Desire is death, which physic did except.”
- Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line such as the sound of /r/ in “At random from the truth vainly expressed” and the sound of /t/ in “For I have sworn thee fair, and thought thee bright.”
- 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;
“My love is as a fever, longing still
For that which longer nurseth the disease.”
- Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. Shakespeare has used imagery in this poem such as, “And frantic-mad with evermore unrest” and “Who art as black as hell, as dark as night.”
- 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 dark love to show how it makes our senses go numb.
- Personification: Personification is to give human qualities to inanimate objects. The poet has personified reason in the second quatrain of the poem such as;
“My reason, the physician to my love,
Angry that his prescriptions are not kept.”
- Symbolism: Symbolism is using symbols to signify ideas and qualities, giving them symbolic meanings that are different from the literal meanings. The poem shows symbols such as weakness, love, darkness, and insanity.
- Simile: It is a device used to compare something with something else to make the meanings clear to the readers. Shakespeare has sued this device in the final line of the poem such as “Who art as black as hell, as dark as night”.
Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in Sonnet 147: My Love Is as A Fever, Longing Still
The usage of poetic devices allows the writers to polish the mood, tone, and structure of their poems. Shakespeare has also used some poetic devices in the poem whose analysis is as follows.
- 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 central idea of the poem such as;
“For I have sworn thee fair, and thought thee bright,
Who art as black as hell, as dark as night
- End Rhyme: End Rhyme is used to make the stanza melodious. Shakespeare has used end rhyme in this poem such as; “bright/night”, “still/ill” and “kept/except.”
- Iambic Pentameter: It is a type of meter having five iambs per line the poem follows iambic pentameter such as; “For that which longer nurseth the disease.”
- Rhyme Scheme: The poem follows ABABCDCD in its octave and EFEFGG in its sestet.
- 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 for anyone who feels trapped in love.
“My love is as a fever, longing still
For that which longer nurseth the disease,
Feeding on that which doth preserve the ill,
Th’ uncertain sickly appetite to please.”