Shakespeare Sonnet 138 – Active Reading

General Notes/Ideas: ABAB CDCD EFEF GG pattern, 10 syllables per line (iambic pentameter) By definition it is a “Shakespearean sonnet” Partially a reason why the word order is awkward throughout the poem There are a few imperfect rhymes “lies & subtleties”, “best & suppressed” Repetition of truth, lie, love, age, youth The poem starts off with kind of a negative tone (his lying lover) but then switches to be more

positive (his acceptance of her). The word “love” in the beginning seems to be referring to a lover, or a specific person. But later

on in the poem it becomes a more general, and love itself seems to be personified which is interesting.

Word Choice: swears – has a powerful sense to it rather than just “says” wherefore, thus, o – archaic words, have a very poetic feel to them though therefore – interesting placement for this word, it starts off the rhyming couplet, which is

essentially the conclusion to the poem, so “therefore” sounds like it’s summarizing lie – interesting because it seems to have a double meaning. The verb, to lie, seems awkward

here because he is lying “with her”. Usually you lie to someone, or about something, but not “lie with”. It sounds more like the other meaning of the word lie, as in to lay (horizontally) next to someone, and the verb phrase “lie with” makes more sense. It was likely an intentional double meaning because lying is the main theme of the poem.

o “Therefore I lie with her, and she with me”o This is also an interesting idea, because “lies” could have a double meaning earlier in the

poem as well “I do believe her, though I know she lies”, as in she fails to tell the truth, but also “lies” as in being intimate with other men.

“age <in love> loves” – the prepositional phrase makes this line awkward because he’s paired the words “love” and “loves” directly beside each other, sounds strange outloud.

“O love’s best habit” – love here is a noun, but as the subject it seems strange because he’s personifying love when “love” takes possession of “best habit”.

Syntax/Parts of Speech: There is a lot of unusual word order for Modern English. “we flattered be” – subject, object, verb “Thus vainly thinking she thinks me young” – “me” sounds awkward, seems to be the indirect

object, because “she” seems to be the subject ?

prep. adv. verb p.p. adv. p.p. v. adj.“But wherefore says she not / she is unjust

This sentence has awkward phrasing, loosely translated means “Why does she not admit she is lying”. It’s the “says she not” that makes the line sound awkward because of the unfamiliar word order.