External Form Poem 2- Sonnet 141

William Shakespeare

Sonnet 141

In faith, I do not love thee with mine eyes,

For they in thee a thousand errors note;

But 'tis my heart that loves what they despise,

Who in despite of view is pleased to dote;

Nor are mine ears with thy tongue's tune delighted,

Nor tender feeling, to base touches prone,

Nor taste, nor smell, desire to be invited

To any sensual feast with thee alone:

But my five wits nor my five senses can

Dissuade one foolish heart from serving thee,

Who leaves unsway'd the likeness of a man,

Thy proud hearts slave and vassal wretch to be:

Only my plague thus far I count my gain,

That she that makes me sin awards me pain. This sonnet is, of course, fourteen lines, and every other line rhymes except for the couplet at the end. It is written in flawless iambic pentameter, which seems to come pretty easily to "the Bard".  The first eight lines describe the problem, or dissonance that requires resolution, which is that the object of the speaker is not physically attractive to him in any way, but he loves her anyway. This seems very contradictory, but then the next four lines bring relief, as they show that the woman has some kind of power, and commands his love and attention, which he gives freely. I'd venture a guess at the object being his queen Elizabeth, or his wife, or maybe even his mistress. The couplet at the end shows that this woman causes him to sin and  punishes him. This could mean that the Queen makes him sin by giving him commands he does not want, so in doing what he wants, he's forced to sin, and she can punish him. His wife causes him to sin, because she's ugly and he turns to other women or activities to satisfy himself, and she punishes him. Or the mistress causes him to sin through fornication, and her ugliness punishes his eyes.