Reflective Paper

Sonnet 116

Shakespeare’s Sonnet 116 is one of his most famous as well as his most poignant sonnets. The sonnet consist of 14 lines, and split into 3 stanzas with 4 lines each and a 2 line couplet. The theme of the sonnet is true love. It describes how true love can never be broken that it never dies. Shakespeare also claims that love does not alter through time so love is eternal and doesn’t fade or disappear, even in old age .From the beginning of the sonet there is the idea of the marriage present. However marriage that Shakespeare describes marriage should be between two equals because if it is then it will last and love will form in unexpected ways .This gives a message to the people Shakespeare’s time to marry an equal and not treat your wife as property.The poem used repeated words “love is not love” and “remover to remove, this shows that the paired words are like love couples.Shakes peare also used natural metaphors “looks on tempests and is never shaken”this shows love as an essential part of life as are many things in nature . The main message of this sonnet is that if love is true then it is ageless and priceless. This is shown by the fact that they refer to love being a star. He wants to explain how important love is the value of it which no can measure. True love can never be defeated by obstacles or any other misunderstandings and if that ever happens then it wasn’t true love at al. True love never ends. One day everything might end but love it is impossible for man to stop loving. It is part of nature. True love cannot be seen but in fact felt around two lovers. True love never changes no matter what the reason maybe physical beauty or persons attitude shall not affect the love of a person. Love is strong force that stays forever.The poems central metaphor is the one of love being presented as astar;specifically the north star as it never changes its position in the sky. The north star would guide sailors when they’re in open waters so this could therefore connote that love guides us through life. Love stays there a guided to lost ships like north star…No matter what the situations may be and how many difficulties there may be love stays.We can never really know the value of the true love. It is infinite. Another important theme presented by Shakespeare in this poem is loyalty. Looking closely, the sonnet finds a positive relationship that exists between loyalty and love. For love to prosper , there must be the willingness to stick to what we believe. One must be willing to go beyond the trials and hardships for love to be considered real. Finally He also states at the end of the connet that if anyone were to prove him wrong he will take back all the words written in the connet as if they never existed, this proves that he is confident that love is ever lasting. Shakespeare believes that if he is not right about love then no man has either never loved or he has never know what true love is.