Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Admit impediments. Love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove:
O no! it is an ever-fixed mark
That looks on tempests and is never shaken;
It is the star to every wandering bark,
Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken.
Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
Within his bending sickle's compass come:
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
But bears it out even to the edge of doom.
If this be error and upon me proved,
I never writ, nor no man ever loved.
Notes
The line
It is the star to every wandering bark
is a reference to a barque which was a three masted sailing ship and to the fact that early navigation was primarily done with reference to the stars in the night sky.
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Comments
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I respect
From guest Sisakhunga Pasiya (contact)
I think this is beautiful.... Love it! No pun intended.... Hahaha -
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date me shakespeare
From guest masediti nkileng molaoa (contact)
My friend says that shakespeare is a pervet but I say that he is exellent with words -
wonderful
From guest masediti nkileng molaoa (contact)
this is one of the most beautiful poems i have read and i don;t normally read poems. well done shakepeare -
great poet
From guest shelletta (contact)
so the go on in the end you will be gone without nowing u excisted so thats y i should not be with the -
From guest SMITHA VIJAYKAR (contact)
LOVE IS NOT OF THE EARTH DEAR MATE AND NEITHER ARE WE. WE LOVE AND BRING WE IT HERE. AND YES WE CAN ATTAIN THAT STEADFASTNESS, BECAUSE ONLY WE CAN! EVEN IF WE DON'T FIND IT RETURNED BY THE SUBJECT OF AFFECTION ... SOMETIMES. LOVE IS NOT AN EMOTION & LOVE IS NOT OF THE MIND. WE MAY FEEL IT ONLY BECAUSE WE COME FROM THE SAME PLACE. -
comparison
From guest Jason (contact)
Also compare Elizabeth Barrett Browning's sonnet that begins, "If thou must love me, let it be for nought Except for love's sake only..." She mentions characteristics about a woman that change in time, and later says, "...these things in themselves, Beloved, may be changed or change for thee, and love so wrought may be unwrought so..." This seems to harmonize with Shakespeare's line, "Love is not love which alters when it alteration finds..." Love, truly, does not change with the weather or with the ebb and flow of life's tides, but remains steady and everlasting. Can human love attain such steadfastness? God help us! -
From guest Leigh Ann (contact)
on line 5:
is it pronounced ever fixed or ever fix-ed?
because if its fix-ed shouldn't there be a stress over the "e"?
Thanks
Mod Message
By my reading of the piece the internal rhythms of the poem cry out for the pronounciation to be fix-ed and as such obviates the use of any stress symbols. These symbols, not ordinarily used in written English, would not, I believe, have been used by the great WS himself either.
Jim -
sonnet #116
From guest cassandra (contact)
this sonnet is really well written and it catches the readers attaction right form teh beginnning at the ''the marrage of ture minds'' thats a really great title and beginning for this piece. i feel like i relate too it even though im not a guy if u chang som of the words it could be a girls perseptive also not just a guys so thank for this experence.!! -
in my estimation it's descriptive because he adequately describes the undying nature of love that never fades through the passage of time. WOW. Shakespeare is truly immortal! I love this poem!
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From guest Raven (contact)
is this poem an example of : *Dramatic *Narrative *Descriptive OR *Discursive if someone could answer this it would help me sooo much -
when it was written
From guest rach (contact)
I'm pretty sure that this poem was written about 1609. For some reason that stands out in my memory!?!
Also i think that the line 'that looks on tempests and is never shaken' echoes in the 'wandering bark' part of the poem. The 'bark' is an old word for s ship, and Shakespeare is trying to show that, despite lifes storms, the ship will stay on course and will always love and will not be shaken.
Anyway, thats how i teach the poem! -
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You are indeed correct bark is a reference to barque which was a three masted sailing ship very common at the time of writing which was in the early 1600's.
It would be nice to see the definitive version to know if Shakespeare himself spelled barque - or - bark or if it is just some editor trying to update a genius.
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loving it
From guest Vuyisile Cyprian Tshabalala (contact)
The peam is complicated but it is surelly romantic so ya it is very nice actually more than nice so BIG UP for the GOOD WORK -
Date???
From guest Aly (contact)
I was wondering does anyone know when Shakespeare wrote sonnet 116 i need it for my year 7 poetry class!!! thankyou xXx -
Lovely, lovely
From guest jay (contact)
Love's ideal, why oh why is there no depth of love like this now? In nearly a lifetime I've only known it once, and was then alas too callow to recognize its singular rarity. -
LET ME NOT
From guest CS GREY (contact)
MY ALL TIME FAVOURITE SONNET; I RECITED IT IN MY 11 GRADE ENGLISH LIT. CLASS IN ST.THOMAS IN 1977 AND ONE OF MY CLASSMATES STILL REMEMBER ME FROM THAT THIS SONNET IS ETCHED IN MY FRONTAL LOBE -
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Poem Decoded
From guest TU Student (contact)
This Sonnet is Shakespeare writing to the young man about how he cannot be no shallow and concerned about a woman's physical beauty. 'Love is not love Which alters when alteration finds, Or bend with the remover to remove:' means that there can be no love when one person in the relationship changes because there will be an inherent change in the other partner, thus changing their love. The 'alteration' can be a change of heart or even a change of physical appearance in this situation and the 'remover' is someone literally removing themselves from the situation, therefor there can be no equal love or 'marriage of true minds'. The 'ever-fixed' mark is the North Star, with which everything revolves around. Next the 'wandering bark' is the person being referred to in the next line "Whose worth's unknown, although his heighth (thats the real translation) be taken'. When Shakespeare is talking about the young man's height being taken he is referring to when people age, they get smaller; and again this fits in conjunction with the idea that the young man should not be so concerned about physical beauty because everyone loses it eventually. So in this thinking, the line 'Love is not Time's fool' makes perfect sense. When this framework is set up for the poem is it easy to see the patterns that follow in the rest of the work: for example the image of a sickle, the grim reaper (the bringer of death) carries a sickle which proves that love is not time's fool because death does not care if you are in love, it will take you anyways. Then it goes on to say that love does not alter in an hour or in a week, it stays until the end of your life (edge of doom referencing Judgement Day). The last couplet is my favourite because Shakespeare calls on anyone to defy him. "If I am wrong," he says " then I have never written and no man has ever loved". Well that clearly is not true, Shakespeare has written many works, so how could anyone argue him? This whole piece is part of a series of poems written to a young unknown man that Shakespeare was trying to help through love. This poem is a kind of rebuttal to the average love poem in the sense that he is trying to talk some sense into this guy. This is a perfect example why no one should ever take the first line of any of Shakespeare's poems as their title and assume the meaning of the text, it can severely limit your understanding and therefor mislead you to a false interpretation. ps. sorry this was so long, I love Shakespeare :D -
From guest Struan (contact)
I like it. Speaking of how love cannot be changed or altered to fit the needs of men. Instead men must fit love, because it cannot be alterated as he says. The last couplet is the best though. -
This is a good poem
From guest Annonymous (contact)
But there is one flaw. the line "That looks on tempests and is never shaken" is not in iambic pentamieter. This changes the meaning because it shakes up the poem... That means that love does not conquer over all, but over nothing. -
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The Iambic pentameter is not the only form to be considered.
I believe you are making a mistake in looking at the line in isolation. The poet is saying
O no! it is an ever-fixed mark, that looks on tempests and is never shaken;
In other words true love cannot be destroyed or altered by the petty storms of life. If it doesn't last it wasn't love!
Or at least that's how I see it.
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none
From guest annonymous (contact)
this sounds cool.however i did not understand what it means by "Love is not love Which alters when it alteration finds," -
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If one is truly in love it is unconditional, so here the poet is saying that it is not really love if your feelings change just because the other person's feelings change.
Love does not have to be returned (but it is best when it is
)
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Wandering Bark
From guest ENWS (contact)
"It is the star to every wandering bark, Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken." Wandering bark is a ship (made of wood). A star is how a ship navigates. A ship's cargo is measured in how deep it sinks into the water (height is taken) and this only tells you how heavy the cargo is but not what it is made of. This says you can't tell the depth of someone else's love for you from the outside. The depth of love is hidden inside. -
Sonnet 116 interpreted differently
From guest ENWS (contact)
I. Let me not to the marriage of true minds Admit impediments. - Don't let me be the one to point out problems with love and marriage but... II. Love is not love Which alters when it alteration finds,Or bends with the remover to remove. - Watch out, you can't change how you feel and you can't change the ones you love. III. O no! it is an ever-fixed mark That looks on tempests and is never shaken; - Worse than that you might ignore terrible problems just because of the way you feel for someone. IV. It is the star to every wandering bark, Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken. - And you can't tell how they feel about you, only they know for sure. V. Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks Within his bending sickle's compass come: - And I don't want to worry you but you are both going to get old and ugly. VI. Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks, But bears it out even to the edge of doom. - And remember you are stuck together forever after you get married. VII. If this be error and upon me proved, I never writ, nor no man ever loved. - You can't prove me wrong. -
a pairse song of true love
this is a praise song of the true love,which will not alter with time and age.wiWilliams Shakeapeare is definitely a man with profound wisdom and insight of human heart -
True love is "marraige of true minds" ho........TRUE!!!
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Hey Dorothy, maybe we could go through this sonnet line by line and decipher it. Here's what I came up with.
I."Let me not to the marriage of true minds admit impediments." Don't let me get in the way of true love.
II."Love is not love which alters when it alteration finds, or bends with the remover to remove:" It's not love when you try to change the object of your love, or change for your lovers sake.
III."O no! It is an ever fixed mark, that looks on tempest and is never shaken;" Love is always there and weathers every storm.
IV."It is the star to every wandering bark, whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken." It is there as a priceless guide, priceless even though we give it such worth(not sure about this one, little help maybe?)
V."Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks within his bending sickle's compass come:" Love doesn't fade with time, even though the bodies of the lovers may feel the effects of age.
VI."Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks, but bears it out, even to the edge of doom." Love doesn't change over time, but endures, even to the end.
VII."If this be error, and upon me proved, I never writ, nor no man ever loved." If someone can prove me wrong, I never wrote anything and nobody has ever been in love.
Hope that helps out, I love these poems. If anyone has any alternate ideas or clarifications, please share them; I am an eternal student. -
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His Height
IV."It is the star to every wandering bark, whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken." you almost got it. This passage means that even though the feeling of love is priceless and unquestioned, the lover is not exempt from scrutiny or doubt. (i think i might have submitted the same thing twice but i am unfamiliar with this site...sorry)
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Help, can anyone decipher this poeom. What is a 'remover to remove or 'which alters when its alteration finds?
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i love this sonnet, its really made me feel better after being dumped last week. i kno that might sound odd, but its made me realise that he wasnt THE ONE! and this is the poem that made me realise it, i was working to try and keep the relationship going, now i realise that if you are working for it, than the love you are feeling is not true.
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Yesterday I attended a bridal shower and when ask if there was anyone else who wanted to give the bride and groom a toast, I volunteered to toast them with Shakespeare's Sonnet, Let Me Not to the Marriage of True Minds. I remembered learning this sonnet in my freshman writing class with Ms, Pancy Jackson at Virginia State University. I shall never forget how Ms. Jackson made me wait until everyone in the class hadrecited this poem. Most of my classmates had not studied and memorized the poem as directed for homework. However, I studied this sonnet all weekend and on Monday was prepared. After making me wait, I was the last one Ms Jackson called to recite the sonnet. After my recital, Ms. Jackson commented, "Bravo Dorothy, I saved the best for last! Recite it again Dorothy. I shall never forget that day. I have always loved Shakespeare's Sonnet, "Let Me Not to the Marriage of True Minds" because it is simply beautiful!
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in the poem what is meant by "let me not to the marriage of true mindes" please let me know thank you sam x
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My favorite sonnet!
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I find it beautiful. My boyfriend gave this to me engraved on an ornament..it means so much to me.
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This is one of my favorites! So incredibly beautiful.
Love, Ashlee
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i like it
Edited on Jan 03, 1:07 because ''. -
This is definitely one of his best... I love this and all of his sonnets.
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I think love exists. Same person for 7 years now, and I'm not yet 27. This is maybe my second favorite sonnett. I remember reading these aloud in my Drama class, and this was indeed a favorite. I do love ol' Will's sonnetts.
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Hmm...really intriguing here. A lot of thought must of went into this. It makes you wonder also who was this for like all poems like this. I don't think love exist. Nay, It is forms of things similar to love. In my opinion, it don't exist. Okay, back to the poem. This seems very thought out, and makes you think which is always a plus. Awesome right Willy where your soul landed on shore.
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that's what they say, you know, but no offense to old will shakespeare (as well as half the poets at AP) but this in my opinion doesn't exist....i know people that supposedly love each other and have for a long time.....and i know for sure that were i in their position i would up and kill myself before long. although that's mainly to do with my inability to live with the same person for long and remain sane. yes. but that's ok......cuz we all love each other, don't we?
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I say, this is the most beautiful of Shakespeares's sonnets. This talks everything about love. It says about true love. It answers almost everything about love. We had once discussed this poem in our Literature and gosh...I was deeply touched by the one.
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This is my favourite of Will's sonnets- it made me cry when I read it for the first time. I think It represents exactly what love should be like.
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