18 pages • 36 minutes read
Sonnet 116
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Symbols & Motifs
Marriage
The question of marriage is present from the first line with the “impediments” (Line 2) mentioned signifying barriers that would prevent true love from flourishing. However, this word also refers to potential obstacles to matrimony, referencing the moment during a marriage ceremony when there is a call for any objections to a union. The references to marriage create an expectation that this sonnet might be written for a muse. However, the reference to a marital union is used in a symbolic sense, eschewing the language of friendship that would be more conventional when discussing the connection between two men. With “marriage of true minds” becoming more of a figurative joining, rather than a literal marriage, the word increases the emotional depths of the love being described here, showing that a deep, loving friendship can be just as important or valuable as a traditional marriage.
Shakespeare is quick to mention “mind” (Line 1) and demonstrate that this union does not need to be recognized by society or connected to the flesh in order to be transcendent and meaningful. It also implies that there is no need for a sexual consummation for spiritual love to flourish; this ‘marriage’ could be a deep friendship or soulmate bond. Shakespeare argues for the possibility of a rational, harmonious love that is just as passionate as sensual love, but infinitely more valuable because it is steadfast and less likely to combust than a romantic union (as evidenced in the later sonnets that Shakespeare has written to the “dark woman”).
The Sickle
A sickle is a sharp, curved tool used by farmers to harvest crops. The mention of the “bending sickle” (Line 10) symbolizes human mortality, which sets a limit on love’s time span. The word “bend” (Line 4) is a repetition of the poem’s fourth line, amplifying the contrast between love and death: love’s straight, unchanging nature is contrasted with the bending and circular cycle of life and death. The sickle is visually similar to the scythe, as they are both rounded tools. The scythe is connected to the grim reaper, who is a mythological bringer of death that carries a scythe to cut short the threads of human lives. Shakespeare uses the image of the sickle to allude to the idea that while humans are mortal, love is not cut short even by death: Love cannot be harvested or consumed. The “sickle’s compass” (Line 10) symbolizes the extent of death’s scope, which appears to capture all living things with its cold embrace. However, love transcends this fate; although death brings about the end of the physical life, the spiritual supremacy of true love lives on.
Navigation
Given the importance placed on astronomy and exploration of the seas during the Early Modern period in England, as well as the popular belief that the stars could influence human affairs, it is not surprising that Shakespeare chose images of navigation to symbolize love’s purpose in human life. The compass is a technical instrument that guides people when they are lost, but in the sonnet, it is associated with death as the scope of mortality. This establishes a stark contrast with the star, which is nature’s compass rather than a human invention. This subtle contrast suggests that the love that Shakespeare has conceived of is not reducible to a proof or a theory: it is a natural phenomenon rather than an invention of the human imagination. It is organic andimplicit to life. The metaphor of the North Star, a Romantic symbol of brightness shining against darkness, appears to do love justice. The symbolism of this language shows that true love can provide a source of refuge and meaning in spite of life’s constant changes.
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By William Shakespeare
