Justifying Mutual Deceit in William Shakespeares Sonnet...

Justifying Mutual Deceit in William Shakespeares Sonnet 138 A common conception of William Shakespeare’s poetry entails complex language and hidden meanings. Shakespeare is famous for his ability to author a web of images that creates layers of interpretations and understandings. In Sonnet 138 however, Shakespeare is more direct in describing his relationship with his lover by avoiding imagery and metaphors, explaining to the reader that this seemingly unconventional relationship is indeed justified. Shakespeare constructs a persona of the speaker in a way that establishes a casual and†¦show more content†¦Finally, the couplet provides an overall conclusion of the preceding lines and gives a definite ending to the poem. The speaker depicts the story of himself and his lover in the first three quatrains with curt language t hat allow less of the reader’s personal imagination than do imagery and metaphors. This serves to simplify the powerful role of structure, allowing the speaker to fully pull the reader into the sonnet and clearly focus on the characters and the overall message. Shakespeare begins 138 with a bold formation of the speaker’s character. The speaker has an almost omniscient quality about him as he claims that he â€Å"know[s] she lies† (2) and that he is well versed â€Å"in the world’s false subtleties† (4). However, at the same time, the reader questions how wise this speaker actually is because of his confused relationship with his lover. The speaker willingly accepts her lies by feigning his own simple-mindedness so that his love â€Å"might think me some untutored youth† (3), in other words, believe that he is younger than he actually is. The speaker then explores the assertions made in the first quatrain in the second as the speaker questions his own decision making process, referring to it as â€Å"vain† (5) and saying that â€Å"she knows† (5) of his true age. The speaker goes on toShow MoreRelatedShakespeare Sonnet 1381910 Words   |  8 PagesJustifying Mutual Deceit A common conception of William Shakespeare’s poetry entails complex language and hidden meanings. Shakespeare is famous for his ability to author a web of images that creates layers of interpretations and understandings. In Sonnet 138 however, Shakespeare is more direct in describing his relationship with his lover by avoiding imagery and metaphors, explaining to the reader that this seemingly unconventional relationship is indeed justified. Shakespeare constructs a persona