Sonnet 27: Weary With Toil, I Haste Me To My Bed
Weary with toil, I haste me to my bed,
The dear repose for limbs with travel tired;
But then begins a journey in my head,
To work my mind, when body’s work’s expired:
For then my thoughts, from far where I abide,
Intend a zealous pilgrimage to thee,
And keep my drooping eyelids open wide,
Looking on darkness which the blind do see:
Save that my soul’s imaginary sight
Presents thy shadow to my sightless view,
Which, like a jewel hung in ghastly night,
Makes black night beauteous and her old face new.
Lo! Thus, by day my limbs, by night my mind,
For thee and for myself no quiet find.
Summary of Sonnet 27: Weary With Toil, I Haste Me To My Bed
- Popularity of “Sonnet 27”: Written by William Shakespeare, a promising English poet and writer, “Sonnet 27” deals with the restless and obsessive side of love. It shows how the thought of an absent lover makes him uneasy and thoughtful. This poem won hearts globally because it deals with the phenomenon of love and its lasting impacts on man beings.
- “Sonnet 27” As a Representative of Love: This love poem captures beautiful feelings of love and infatuation. It begins when the exhausted speaker heads off to his bed to give rest his tired body. Exhausted from a long journey, he only wants to submit himself to the soothing sleep but fails. His mind does not allow his body to enjoy the bliss of sleep. The speaker’s mind undertakes a devoted mission to find his lover. This sweet quest keeps his tired eyes wide open, enabling them to see what blank people see in the darkness. Although he cannot see his lover physically, his soul’s imagination brings her image into his vision. Surprisingly, her shadow looks like a jewel shining through the dark. Thus, the image of the lover brings beauty to the dark night. So, his duties do not allow his body to rest during the day. While at night, his intense love steals his peace and tranquillity.
- Major Themes in “Sonnet 27”: The central themes of this sonnet are enchanting love, mundane responsibilities, and wonder. The sonnet revolves around the idea of love and how it brings unprecedented changes to one’s life. The sonnet’s obsessive and painful longing for love can be seen from the very start. It opens with the speaker’s attempts to sleep, but the thoughts of his beloved make him wild. His action shows the explanatory power of love as how difficult it becomes to take rest when our mind gets obsessed with love. On the one hand, he battles with his desires, while on the other hand, the night gives him a chance to adore the unmatchable beauty of his beloved which he forgets during his busy hours.
Analysis of Literary Devices Used in Sonnet 27: Weary With Toil, I Haste Me To My Bed
literary devices are the writer’s strengths; their appropriate usage gives the writer’s imagination wings. Also, they make simple texts attractive to the readers. Shakespeare also used some literary devices in the poem, whose analysis is as follows.
- Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /e/ in “The dear repose for limbs with travel tired” and the sound of /o/ in “To work my mind, when body’s work’s expired.”
- Alliteration: Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line in quick succession, such as the sound of /f/ in “from far where I abide.”
- Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /t/ in “Presents thy shadow to my sightless view” and the sound of /n/ in “But then begins a journey in my head.”
- 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;
“Save that my soul’s imaginary sight
Presents thy shadow to my sightless view.”
- Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. Shakespeare used imagery in this poem such as “To work my mind, when body’s work’s expired”, “Which, like a jewel hung in ghastly night” and “Presents thy shadow to my sightless view.”
- 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 love as an extended metaphor to show how it makes a person revolves around itself.
- Simile: It is a device Used to compare something with something else to make the meanings clear to the readers. The writer has used this device toward the end of the poem where he compares his lover’s shadow to a jewel, such as;
“Presents thy shadow to my sightless view,
Which, like a jewel hung in ghastly night.”
Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in Sonnet 27: Weary With Toil, I Haste Me To My Bed
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 central idea of the poem.
- End Rhyme: End Rhyme is used to make the stanza melodious. Shakespeare used end rhyme in this poem such as; “mind/find” “view/new” and “sight/night.”
- Iambic Pentameter: It is a type of meter having five iambs per line; the poem follows iambic pentameter such as; “The dear repose for limbs with travel tired.”
- 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 to use while talking about the experiences of mentally occupied people. They beautifully show how overthinking steals our moments of rest and peace.
“Weary with toil, I haste me to my bed,
The dear repose for limbs with travel tired;
But then begins a journey in my head,
To work my mind, when body’s work’s expired.”
