Sonnet 76

“Sonnet 76” deviates from many of Shakespeare’s other sonnets by opening with a question. The word “Why” (Lines 1, 3, 5) is repeated three times, creating a sense of the speaker’s frustration and powerlessness. While the poem can be read in iambic pentameter—placing the emphasis on the second words “is,” “with,” and “write” (Lines 1, 3, 5)—the instinct is instead to place emphasis on these pivotal opening words that encompass so much in so small a space. The first question draws attention to the “barrenness,” or unproductive emptiness, of the speaker’s creative work. The connection to the line’s closing word “pride” (Line 1) enhances the feeling of infertility; the poet has previously used this word in a sexual connotation, and the lack of it here creates an image of a womb that has lost its potential to produce. In this way, the speaker has lost their inherent purpose of artistic creation.

The speaker continues to ask why they are incapable of “variation or quick change” (Line 2). This may be a reference to the theater; in performance, a “quick change” refers to a choreographed costume change that can be done almost instantaneously, thereby creating multiple characters out of one person.