Hello and welcome. In this video, we are going to be discussing William Shakespeare's Sonnet 116. Let me say this right at the outset that this is a complicated poem to understand. Even though you may think that it's only a love poem of 14 lines, the theme is quite complicated.
So, I will go through it slowly. If you feel that my speed is a little slow, please go through it. at 1.5x speed not an issue at all i always suggest that every minute saved is a minute gained as far as class 11 and class 12 students are concerned this is not the time for you to have musti while attending long long live sessions not at all not at all recommended okay so sonnet 116 now before i get into it i thought let me just show you this particular photograph william shakespeare writing sonnets and this is the how you The cover of Shakespeare's sonnets look.
Look how Shakespeare's name is spelled with a hyphen. Okay, I was quite surprised. Never before imprinted at London by G.
Elde for T.T. and R. Tooby.
Fold by William McCantry. It's 1609. So I just thought this was an interesting cover which you may want to see. Now let's get to the text part of it on what exactly does that.
text say now before i get into it want to say a few things about the sonnet 116 and what exactly does it talk about now a sonnet is essentially how many lines does it contain it contains 14 lines okay each one of them essentially has 10 syllables okay and there is a fixed rhyme pattern okay these are basically you aspects of sonnets which you should be aware of this particular sonnet was most likely written sometime in the 1590s okay we already saw that it was published in 1609 okay and i'll tell you the story behind it so all these sonnets were written in the 1590s when shakespeare war was at his peak but published only 1609 by that time he had kind of finished writing most of his famous plays now sonnet Shakespeare's sonnets did not gain much popularity during his lifetime but only much later and sonnet 116 is one of his most famous sonnets okay because of the kind of language he used and also because of the universal appeal of the theme of love now how many sonnets did Shakespeare actually write he wrote a total of 154 sonnets and this is the 116th of them you So he has kind of numbered it. Okay, that's how Shakespeare has done. And all of them were published together in 1609. Now, before we get into the explanation, I want to talk about, I've written a question and answer on this. On why did, you know, the whole significance of the title.
Because normally, I mean, he could have written it an ode to love, a sonnet about love. You know, you could have written anything like that. But by writing it as a number, it kind of gives it a very...
clinical kind of a feel right a very clinical kind of a feel to it so he uses a numerical title like all his other 153 sonnets because he wanted to focus the attention on the form and content of the poem instead of predetermining our reaction you know before the moment you hear an ode to love you will know immediately oh it's a love poem and you will your mind will be kind of tuned to that particular theme So what happens is that now the reader, you and I can get into sonnet 116 without any preconceived notions. When you see a very clinical title, like it's like, you know, bus route number 116. It's like that, you know, goes from here to there. You don't know anything about what happens between spot, place of departure and place of arrival.
You have no idea. So it's a bit like that. It's just a bus route number, kind of a clinical kind of a. feel okay but it is a larger explanation of the theme of love about explanation about human emotions and also the passage of time so in that sense it becomes use this line sonnet 116 the title becomes a timeless reflection on the essence and the spirit of enduring love okay you can use this line i've written it in the note so you can just take it from there okay now a sonnet as I said is a poem of 14 lines and in this particular sonnet he attempts Shakespeare attempts to define love both by telling what it is and what it is not sonnet 116 about love which it is and what it is not so it kind of explores the theme of true love the timeless nature of true love you know you know somebody you like somebody it moves to love it moves to affection and then there is some kind of a bond there is some kind of a bond that is formed between two individuals right and that is what is an enduring theme of love it's about commitment it's about respect For another person. And it is a bond which is so powerful.
That only death can actually. Put a full stop to that bond. That's the only way. It can change the contours.
It can reshape that love. Okay. Then who is this sonnet written to?
I mean. If Shakespeare has written such a great sonnet. Who was it written to?
Now I did a lot of research. And I found something interesting. that there was speculation that Shakespeare wrote 127 out of his 154 sonnets to a young man, not to a woman, to a young man and thereby some critics. Now, this is not universally accepted. Some critics seem to have an impression that maybe there was a gay relationship that Shakespeare was possibly involved in, but there is no clarity on that.
So, we will not get into that, but I'm just mentioning it, what I found in some of the... writings of the critics what is this theme broadly three four themes true and unconditional love i've already spoken about right about how selflessness that you know that i should not be selfish about what i feel i should be equally concerned about what are the feelings of the person i love that is what is called true and selfless love then there is the theme of the passage of time that you know it is not a temporary kind of a feeling. It is a constant.
True love is a constant. That is permanent. That's not temporary.
You know, I feel love only on Thursdays. It's not like that, right? So it is unwavering.
Time may throw a lot of challenges at you, but your love has to remain constant, permanent, fixed. Okay. Then there are a lot of words which we will explain while we were going through the poem. Then there is a theme of commitment that true love needs commitment it's a promise it is a sacrifice a willingness to work together even during all kinds of problems the true test of true love the test of true love is when you face a hurdle when you face an obstacle otherwise during good times everybody stays together right so it is a lifelong commitment that needs dedication on part of both the partners and immortality that you don't true love can stay even beyond death death will reshape it death may call some kind of a full stop but true love transcends love that even after the other partner has passed away you still feel love for the other person it cannot be destroyed therefore by external circumstances okay let's get to the explanation of the poem we'll go one two three four the first four lines first okay let me not to the marriage of true minds admit impediments love is not love now impediments means imped impediments means hurdles okay just keep noting it down in your book itself otherwise in your notebook otherwise i have written it in the notes so not a problem but word meanings agar malum rehta hai to you will find it much easier to understand the poem alters okay let me love him which alters even when alteration even when it alteration finds alters come at love you must be knowing that when it changes you know changes anything or transforms bends bends here refers to some kind of a transformation okay transforms and remover the word remover is the person who is causing this separation okay he's a person who is causing the separation so let me not to the marriage of true minds admit impediments now the sonnet is beginning with some kind of a vow, some kind of a promise.
So he promises to himself and the reader that he will not admit impediments. That is, he will not allow hurdles to the marriage of true minds. Please note this very clearly.
This is important. Marriage of true minds. He is not talking of marriage of two people.
Okay. He's talking about some kind of harmony of two minds. Okay.
So he's saying that it, and this, you know, he's making it as almost like a promise that he promises to himself and the reader that he will not allow any kind of obstacles to the marriage of two minds, true minds. And it could be a passionate declaration to the person he loves. And it seems more like a prayer. Now the meaning of these lines is that may I, let me not, may I never acknowledge any kind of hurdles to the notion of two people who are made for each other being joined together. Right?
That may there never be any kind of, may I never acknowledge that there would be hurdles to the marriage of. true minds between two people who truly love each other what people call love is not really love if it alters when it finds that the other person changed or gives in when someone seeks to remove that love in the sense that you know when it is a marriage of true minds it is a greater form of love than just you know when you say love at first sight or when there is only physical kind of attraction right so shakespeare here is essentially arguing that true love that is marriage of true minds that is his definition of true love cannot be prevented by external factors he says that love is not love if it changes with the passage of time right alters when if alteration finds when it which alters you know love is not love when it changes if there is some kind of an external force which kind of forces some kind of a change he says and if it or it if it can be easily bends with the remover to remove that if there is some external force which kind of breaks it it is that's not true love so love is something so he's kind of benchmarking it as a higher kind of a quality so marriage of true minds implies that true love is a spiritual union between two people it's not just physical love or lust it is a spiritual union between two people and marriage can be understood in the legal sense you know the marriage is a is a is an institution that we understand and it is also a dedicated union of two people but here is talking about true minds okay so he's keeping it at a higher level than just an ordinary marriage also this alternate explanation is because of the use of the word minds and not people what i said at the beginning and minds cannot be married in a church but they can be in love you know I may be in love with another person because that person I may be truly respecting. There is a great sense of commitment. There is a great sense of affection. There is a great sense of, you know, wanting to do things for the other person to make the other person feel better.
And this can be in different kinds of relationships. But that respect commitment is something which is extremely important. So the poet, I mean, I'm talking about that thing on a side which you may. not really include in the thing explanation i i mean it's entirely up to you the poet and the young man could not be legally married right what i said that there possibly was a gay relationship that shakespeare was in but the relationship can still be metaphorically called as a marriage so the poet is saying that the true minds must be true to each other and the background to this is that during the renaissance period that is early 16th century to early 17th century the priest would say that to the two people getting married that I require and charge you that if either of you know any impediment, the word impediment is spoken by the father in the church at the time of the wedding, then why you may not be lawfully joined together in matrimony, that you confess it, that if you know of any reason why you should not be married to this person, then please say it now, don't say it after marriage, right? So you need to say it.
So the word impediment comes from that, right? So Shakespeare is basically referring to a marriage ceremony By using this word. I hope you're not getting very confused. Okay, I'm giving you a lot of explanation because as I warned you right at the beginning, sonnet 116 is along with strange meeting are probably the most tough poems in your syllabus. Okay, so you need to maybe listen to this a second time.
Look at the notes also. It is a little heavy duty. Okay, now impediments. As I said, it is taken from what was the ceremony.
At that time, and here maybe he's referring to sarcastically to the obstacles that prevented him from marrying this particular man. Because same-sex marriage was not an option in the England of Shakespeare's times. Okay, so I'm giving you a historical context which many critics believe was the case.
And the fact that where this particular impediments word comes from, where does the word marriage of true minds, I mean what does it mean? I hope you have understood the first. Four lines. Let's move to the next four lines. Line 5 to 8. Oh no.
It is an ever fixed mark that looks on tempest and is never shaken. Now ever fixed means. Tempest obviously means unchanging. Okay.
Something which is constant, right? Tempest. I'm sure you are aware of it.
Tempest means something which is a severe storm. Okay. You don't have tempest in your syllabus anymore. Wanderer.
It is a star to every wandering bark. Okay. Somebody who keeps roaming around. Or who is someone who is either lost or someone who is aimlessly wandering around. Bark is referring to the boat or ship.
It is not a dog's bark. The bark is referring to either a ship or a boat. Whose worth is unknown although his height be taken.
Worth means importance or value. Value would be probably a better meaning. So these are the five important word meanings that you need to know as far as lines 5 to 8 are concerned, this quatrain.
He says, oh no, love is an eternal mark like a lighthouse out at sea that survives stormy spells. I mean, I'm talking about tempest. So still remains never shaken as in, you know, it can never be, you know, remain steady and strong.
so love is the star guiding every boat out at sea so he's making a comparison using a metaphor of a comparison of a boat which is out at sea so the love is like the star which is guiding that boat because it is like the stars whose positions we have measured that height we taken means we know the exact position of the stars in the sky but they still remain a mystery worthy is unknown right it's it's worth is unknown means Its value, its importance is unknown. But we know the physical measurements, you know, thanks to the knowledge of astronomy. Okay, so Shakespeare is using the metaphor of an ever-fixed mark to describe the unchanging nature of true love. That true love is something which is permanent.
It is fixed. So he's calling it an ever-fixed mark. And he says that true love is the guiding force.
It's like something which kind of takes care of you. It remains steadfast. You know, in your worst times, if you have someone, the love of your life standing by you, it provides you with great moral courage, right? Even in the face of a big challenge in your life. So true life is like that guiding light that helps people find their way through all kind of severe storms, tempest word that you use, basically referring to huge challenges or difficulties in life.
Okay. So that's as far as lines. 8 to 5 to 8 are concerned now let's move to lines 9 to 12 let's look at the word meanings first times fool what is times fool times fool refers to a victim of time something that has been affected adversely by the passage of time okay so times fool is like a victim of time though rosy lips and cheeks within his bending sickles compass come you Okay, sickle's compass, sickle is a tool which is used to cut crops. Okay, it's like this, like this.
So this part will be the sharp part which will be used to cut crops with. Okay, so in I think CPIM, party symbol uses the sickle, right? So sickle's compass, sickle is a tool which is used to cut crops and compass implies the arc of the sickle. Compass implies this arc of the sickle. Okay.
Bears it out. Bears it out. Out here. Bears it out.
Means to endure. To withstand. To tolerate.
Okay. To the edge of doom is referring edge of doom is referring to the point of death. It's referring to the point of death. So what is the meaning of this quatrain? That love is not time's fool.
Okay. Though rosy lips and cheeks within his bending sickles come past come. So love does not serve time in the manner that a fool serves the king. Love does not serve time. That you know, it is not going to take care of the passage of time in the manner that a fool serves the king.
Though the passage of time moused out every man in the end. You know that with time. Things change. Things go take a turn for the worse. So, no, things will, there will be challenges which will be thrown at you.
So, love does not alter in the course of the brief hours and weeks of time, but remains faithful even till doomsday or the end of the world. Okay. So, time is something which will stay. There will be challenges which will be thrown at you.
Okay. It will not kind of serve you the way a fool serves the king, but it does not alter. in the course of the brief hours and weeks of time but remains faithful to you so in these lines shakespeare is suggesting that true love is not affected by the passage of time and physical beauty people age with time people's physical somebody may be extremely good looking at the age of 20 but by the time he or she reaches the age of 60 70 there will be a major change in the way he or she looks so shakespeare is suggesting that true love is not affected by the passage of time Physical beauty may fade with the passage of time, but true love is something that remains constant. Edge of the doom, the last four words, edge of doom implies that true love remains there even beyond death. But bears it out even to the edge of doom, even death and beyond.
Okay, or at least to the point of death, definitely even to the point of death, true love. stays with you you know it is there and after death obviously it becomes a memory okay it's not like you know somebody dies and then you begin to uh hate that person it does not work that way the last any doubts you may still have and i'm sure you will have doubts because i can feel the complexity of this sonnet okay so please keep asking we'll keep having a dialogue and i'm sure we'll be able to kind of get more meanings etc because as i said sonnet 116 is the most famous and definitely also one of the most complex sonnets that shakespeare wrote meaning of these lines uh lines 13 and 14 now if this be error and upon me now he's making some kind of a declaration at the end if this be error and upon me proved i never writ nor no man ever loved so he says if what i have written here in the first 12 lines about love is proved to be incorrect okay error means incorrect i never wrote anything nor did any man truly love anything which is obviously not true shakespeare has written so much okay so he's saying that agar what i have written all this is wrong that means i never wrote anything nor did any man love any anything okay so it's a very confident declaration by william shakespeare at the end and he says that if anyone needs to prove that this argument what i've written in the first 12 lines is wrong then it means that i never wrote anything nor did anyone love anyone truly and this kind of an emphasis a very emphatic statement it underlines the power of true love that you know there is a lot of power in true love and that is the force that continues to stay on beyond many years okay so that's as far as the explanation of this poem is concerned the style of the sonnet the use of the negative is very important let me not love is not love oh no never shaken love is not times fool love alters not i never write nor no man ever loved you know there is a lot of the negative you know there is a lot of the use of the negative in this particular sonnet so that is a style of this particular sonnet which you should be aware of okay uh the rhyme scheme is very different you a b a b c d c d e f e f g g that is the rhyme scheme of this particular uh sonnet uh repetition you have already understood love is not love which alters when alteration finds and metaphor these are all metaphors alliteration alters alteration personification of times full that is a personification and hyperbole to the edge of doom you know talking about something right to the point of death that's a bit of an exaggeration so these are some of the poetic devices used by shakespeare in this sonnet okay so i hope this is clear i will now sit down to write the question and answers which will provide you more clarity on how to write the answers if you know that and you remember the keywords the key phrases that i use in my answers and use them in your answers you should be pretty good so give me some time i will write down the answers of sonnet 116 and that should be able to kind of help you as far as this particular sonnet is concerned this i repeat is a complex poem i'm not saying at all that it is i mean compared to this abhisara or why i like the hospital etc strange meeting is another poem which you will find extremely complex i was sitting and writing the notes the other day i found it very complex very complex so these two are really poems to negotiate and navigate okay tata bye bye but not to worry sws is here bye