William Shakespeare's "SONNET NO. 116" (Let me not to the marriage of true minds): Analysis of Rhetoric

SONNET 116

by  William Shakespeare

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.

"Let me not to the marriage of true minds  

Admit impediments."

Rhetoric:

1. This is a case  of  Hyperbaton which is a form of inversion of word order, since the normal word order should have been "Do not let me admit impediments to the marriage of true minds"  

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2.This is also a case of synecdoche (abstract for the cocrety ) since the abstract ‘ true minds’ stands for the concrete  lovers who are faithful to 'each other ’

3. It is also a case of Alliteration  since the sound /m/ occurs at the beginning of words.

4. This opening line also employs the figure of speech called "litotes," which is a form of understatement that emphasizes a point by using a negative statement to assert the opposite. By saying "Let me not admit impediments," the speaker actually means "Let there be no impediments." The speaker declares that true love should not be hindered by any obstacles or difficulties.

"Love is not love

Which alters when it alteration finds,

Or bends with the remover to remove"

Rhetoric: This passage uses the figure of speech called "antithesis," which presents contrasting ideas side by side.

Explanation: The speaker states that true love is unchanging and does not alter or fade when faced with changes or separations.

    “Oh , 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."

Rhetoric: 

1.This section contains the figures of speech "apostrophe" . Apostrophe is a figure of speech where the speaker addresses an absent or imaginary person or thing. 

The speaker asserts that love is a constant and unwavering force that remains steady even in the face of storms and uncertainties. Love serves as a guiding light to lost souls, although its true value cannot be measured.

2. This is a case of metaphor . The metaphor compares love to a fixed navigational mark(an ever- fixed mark) and a guiding star (It is the star). Love has  been compared to the sea mark by which ships know their position are guide their courses . The comparison is not made explicitly.  Love has been compared to a star , usually the polestar , by which Ships know their position and the direction.

3. This is also a case of synecdoche (material for the thing made ) . Here the ‘bark’ the matrial with which the ship is made stands for the ship it self .

    " Lover’s not Time’s fool, though rosy lips and cheeks 

within his bending sickle’s compass come ;"

  Rhetoric: 

1. This is a case of Personification. Time as been spoken of as if it is a king who could employ and make the clown behave as he liked. And he is attributed with a sickle, which is a symbol of death.

Explanation: The speaker states that love is not subject to the passing of time, even though the physical beauty of youth eventually succumbs to the aging process.

2. It is a case of Metaphor because Time is also been comp0ared to a harvester with a sickle  in his hand.

3. It is a case of synecdoche  because the Rosy lips and cheeks, the concrete, stands for the abstract , for beauty.

4. It may also be considered as  a case of Transferred Epithet , ‘Bending’ stands not only for the shape of the sickle but also for man.

"Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,

But bears it out even to the edge of doom."

Rhetoric: 

1. Parallelism is a figure of speech that involves the repetition of grammatical structures, creating a balanced and rhythmic effect. In this case, the parallel structure is evident in the repetition of the phrase "Love alters not" and "bears it out," which creates a symmetrical pattern and emphasizes the unchanging nature of love.

2. Antithesis, on the other hand, is a figure of speech that presents contrasting ideas or elements side by side, often in parallel structures. In the given lines, the antithesis is seen in the contrast between the concepts of alteration and endurance: "Love alters not" contrasts with "his brief hours and weeks," while "bears it out" contrasts with "the edge of doom." This contrast highlights the steadfastness and longevity of love, even in the face of the passage of time and impending doom.

Explanation: The speaker declares that love remains constant and endures beyond the transient nature of time, lasting until the very end.

"If this be error and upon me proved,

I never writ, nor no man ever loved."

 Rhetoric: "hypothetical argument" or "conditional statement."

In this case, the speaker presents a hypothetical scenario or condition: "If this be error and upon me proved." By using the word "if," the speaker introduces a conditional statement that suggests a potential contradiction or refutation of the preceding statements about love.

The rhetorical effect of this conditional statement is twofold. First, it challenges the audience or reader to disprove the speaker's assertions about love's constancy and endurance. The speaker essentially challenges anyone who can prove them wrong.

Second, it reinforces the speaker's confidence and conviction in the preceding statements. By stating that if they are proven false, "I never writ, nor no man ever loved," the speaker effectively stakes their own credibility and the credibility of all individuals who have experienced love on the truth of their claims. It's a way of saying that if these statements about love are found to be incorrect, then everything the speaker has written, as well as all instances of love experienced by humanity, would be called into question.

Thus, the use of the conditional statement in these lines serves to bolster the speaker's argument about the enduring nature of love while simultaneously issuing a challenge and emphasizing the significance of the claim.

 Also Read: How to analyze a poem : Technicality & Ethics

  Ardhendu De