18 pages • 36 minutes read
Sonnet 76
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Themes
Tradition Versus Innovation
At its core, “Sonnet 76” is a juxtaposition of the traditional methods of writers like the speaker (and the poet), and experimental, innovative methods of newer writers and artists. In the opening line, “Why is my verse so barren of new pride” (Line 1), one of the often overlooked key words is “new”—the speaker feels caught in the past and wonders why their work does not compare with the proud, fertile compositions of those around them. The first half of the poem centers around this discontent; there is a sense that the speaker has been left behind because of their adherence to tradition.
While there is no major, dramatic turn in this attitude, the line “To new-found methods and to compounds strange” (Line 4) hints at the shifting perspective as the speaker reconsiders their own “pride” (Line 1) in their work. This may even be subconscious rather than overt, which is why it is portrayed through subtle language rather than as a declaration. The descriptions are not complimentary and carry a feeling of wariness bordering on disdain; “compounds strange” (Line 4) suggests a modernist bastardization of a proud tradition rather than an evolution of it. In the following quatrain, the speaker considers the way their writing style has come to be indicative of the speaker themself—an idea that is still very true today as this language is considered to be a Shakespearean style, and this exact poetic form has even become known as a “Shakespearean sonnet.” The poem therefore becomes a sort of self-fulfilling prophecy as the very words used to describe the speaker’s plight become among the ones to bring it into being.
By the time the poem reaches its conclusion, the speaker has moved their focus away from the methods and literary devices of poetic construction to its inspiration. They admit that all their work is born out of love, so the best they can do is “dress[…] old words new” (Line 11), or use the tools at hand to try and encompass a much bigger idea. In this way, the subject of the speaker’s work becomes much bigger than the approach; in other words, it no longer matters if the work is traditional or innovative because it all circles back to the same universal idea.
An Artist’s Limitations
In addition to the gap between innovation and tradition, the poem also explores the gap between what the speaker aspires to capture in their work—what all writers and artists seek to capture in their various mediums—and the incomprehensible breadth of human feeling. The focus on innovation and new techniques—“new-found methods and […] compounds strange” (Line 4)—illustrates the eternal struggle to find new ways of communicating themes and feelings that are simply too big for words. In the opening lines, there is a sense that the speaker longs for these methods because they might open new avenues of inspiration.
The speaker poses their thoughts as questions for which there are no simple answers. In the second quatrain, they shift their focus from the work of others to examining their own writing, ultimately finding it lacking. The lines “still all one, ever the same, / And keep invention in a noted weed” (Lines 5-6) suggest that the speaker’s work is repetitive and lacks experimentation; however, the deeper truth is that the speaker is struggling with the boundaries set by the limitations of their medium. The reason these innovations exist in the first place is because writers attempt to push past these boundaries and find new ways to communicate what it is to love. The speaker concludes, “So all my best is dressing old words new, / Spending again what is already spent” (Lines 11-12)—they can only rearrange the same literary devices and turns of phrase they’ve always relied upon to express their love.
At the end of the poem, the speaker accepts that they will continue using their art to express their feelings in the same cyclical way as the rising and setting of the sun. They have acknowledged the reality of their limitations as an artist and understand that the only thing they have the power to do is continue creating and sharing their love for the fair youth.
The Relationship Between Love and Inspiration
The poem begins as a treatise on the creative process but quickly shifts into a celebration of the love the speaker feels for the subject of the poem, the fair youth. In the speaker’s life, these two things are inextricably intertwined: art and love, passion and creativity. The line “O know, sweet love, I always write of you” (Line 9) is significant; in addition to being the central turning point of the poem, it is also the first line that is delivered as a statement rather than a question. This suggests that the first half of the poem represents a period of uncertainty, whereas the second half of the poem is more confident and fulfilled. The speaker is saying that no matter what methods, phrases, devices, or mediums they use to illustrate their love, their feelings remain constant and unchanging.
Rather than being two separate things or every two sides of one whole, art and love are presented as intrinsically interwoven. The speaker says, “you and love are still my argument” (Line 10), meaning that love is always the cumulation of their efforts. In this way the relationship takes on a circular quality; art is inspired by love and also works to fulfill it. The vast majority of Shakespeare’s sonnets focus on love in some way or another, as well as many of his plays. Most often these are a celebration of love but can also be social observations of it. This is, of course, true of many other poets as well including Shakespeare’s contemporaries.
“Sonnet 76” presents love as the speaker’s creative center. It is the root of their work, giving life to recurring ideas, as well as its ultimate objective. The metaphor of “the sun […] daily new and old” (Line 13) takes on new meaning, as love and the speaker’s work follow each other like the never-ending cycle of the sun. This idea can be extrapolated to encompass much of Shakespeare’s work and, indeed, the poetry tradition as a larger whole.
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By William Shakespeare
