Sonnet 116

Sonnet 116

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.


–William Shakespeare

A. Recalling

1. List 3 or 4 things that love is not according to Sonnet 116.

·         "Let me not to the marriage of true minds admit impediments. 

I will not allow myself to admit that true love has any restrictions

·         Love is not love which alters when it alteration finds

True love never changes even when it finds changes in      circumstances.

·         Love does not bend with the remover to remove

     Love does not bend from its firm stand even when a lover is unfaithful

·         Love's not Time's fool though rosy lips and cheeks / Within his bending sickle's compass come:"

Love is not at the mercy of time

·         Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks

Love does not change with hours and weeks

2. List several things that love is according to Sonnet 116.

¨      Love is an ever-fixed mark

That looks on tempests and is never shaken

Love is a permanent mark that persists unshaken despite the harsh winds of change

¨      It is the star to every wandering bark

Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken

Love is the guiding, constant star for every wandering ship, a fixed point whose nature is unknown, although its height can be measured.

¨      Love bears it out even to the edge of doom

Love endures until the day of reckoning.

B. Interpreting

1. What is the measuring of the image star in lines 7-8? How does this image apply to love?

“It is the star to every wandering bark,
Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken.”

Love is the guiding star to every lost ship. Genuine love serves as a guiding light to direct us on time of confusion or uncertainty, pain and sorrow, difficulty and trials within the relationship.  Real love directs us to think rationally and enables us to choose the right decision and attitude.

C. Extending

Do you agree or disagree with the speaker's interpretation of love? Why or why not?

I agree with the speaker’s interpretation of love.  Authentic love cannot be true if it changes for any reason. It must be honest, loyal and steadfast despite any hindrances that may occur. Love shows patience and chooses what is rightful. Love blossoms until the end of time.

 Love is something beyond measure and is really indefinable.  Nobody can exactly depict the real meaning of love. But love is absolutely something that can give us happiness and brings inspiration to everyone.