Introduction: None of the sonnets from William Shakespeare’s
immortal canon are more emotionally conflicted and contradictory than the
elegant lines of Sonnet 35. Upon first glance at the famous words, “No more be
grieved at that which thou hast done…” the reader is immediately thrown into a
hurricane of emotional turmoil over love, betrayal, responsibility, corruption
of the mind, and morality. With the disharmonic thoughts of the poet fueling
the headwinds of the storm, the poet seeks to delve into the question of
whether to forgive his lover for his sensual fault and the morality of
defending his victimizer. The impression of true compassion is finally
confirmed in this sonnet, by his attempts to justify the sins even though he is
the victim. Through brilliant sophistry and comparisons with nature, the poet
finds himself mentally corrupted and guilty of his lover’s trespass. This
sonnet serves to show the reader the guilt and responsibility the poet himself
feels for the sins of his lover.
I.
Introduction
A.
No sonnets are as emotionally conflicted.
Imagery: “Hurricane of emotional turmoil over love, betrayal…” Attempt at
imagery will try to make sonnet seem more dramatic and interest reader.
B.
Sonnet 35 is the most emotionally conflicted and
contradictory sonnet. (Hyperbole/Strong Statement). Opening line of the Sonnet
provided. Say themes of the poem. “Love, betrayal, responsibility, corruption
of the mind, and morality”
C.
The poet feels mentally corrupted for aiding his
victimizer. True compassion is confirmed in the sonnet.
D.
“This sonnet serves to show the reader the guilt
and responsibility the poet himself feels for the sins of his lover.”
II.
The poet’s thought process puts a small amount
of blame on the lover and much more blame on himself.
A.
The guilt the poet feels over his lover’s sin is
evident in his thought process and the way he presents his lover.
B.
The poet, through the metaphors and rhetoric of
the first six lines of the sonnet, makes his lover seem not-at-fault of his
crime. He downplays it, instead of expressing anger, as a normal person would,
as if his lover is not the one responsible. He even examines the irony of his
situation and scolds himself for being mentally corrupt in his logic.
C.
The poet soothes his friend’s guilt by assuming
some of the blame. (Fiero - “the poet attempts to assuage his friend’s guilt
through clever sophistry, reasoning that he himself must bear some of the
responsibility for his friend’s offense.”)
III.
Shakespeare’s word choice and structure in the
poem paints an unrealistic view of the lover in the time of his fault.
A.
The word choice Shakespeare uses to describe the
lover’s sin makes it seem as if the lover’s sin is of less magnitude and doesn’t
deserve much blame for it.
B.
By the poet making the lover’s sin seem like
less of a lapse of judgment on his friend’s part, he is able to more
effectively assume the blame on himself.
C.
Shakespeare never describes the crime for this
reason. He refers to the fault instead as a “trespass”, “that which thou hast
done”, and a “fault”. There is participial fixation especially on phrases that
describe the fault of the poet for the crime. (Vendler – “In 35, we see the
overmastering emotion in the participial fixation on personal fault: [Chart
showing participial fixation]”) The fixation is used to put extra emphasis on
these statements.
IV.
Conclusion
A.
The word choice, structure, logic, and irony
Shakespeare presents in Sonnet 35 show that the poet feels that he is
responsible for his lover’s crime.
B.
Sonnet 35 shows that the poet feels responsible
for his lover’s trespass.
