62 Sin of self-love possesseth all mine eye

Question 1

Summarise sonnet 62:

1 Quatrain

2 Quatrain

3 Quatrain

Couplet

Answer 1

1. Unabashedly saying that he loves himself with every part of himself, open about it being a sin
2. Better than anyone else
3. Actual sin in loving ‘myself indeed’ - sees in mirror and blaches at ugliness
4. Reveals actually talking about the fair youth, who complements him

Question 2

Interesting to note in regards to poetic conventions?

Answer 2

Shakespeare subverts convention of talking about the poetic ‘I’, as the ‘I’ becomes someone else

Question 3

Overall themes?

Answer 3

Androgenes and soul-mates

Question 4

Analyse first quatrain of sonnet 62

Answer 4

• Opening trochee
  
  • Inversion - poem about opposites or inversion
  • Also defiant, doesn’t care
  • Hints at later revelation that not the real sin, as not his ‘self indeed’
• ‘All mine eye’
  
  • Pun, emphasises how fills self
  • Later in poem demonstrates how souls connected - eyes as gateways to souls
• Body and soul, eye, heart
  
  • Hints at idea of androgenes
• Syndetic listing
  
  • Assuredness/ no question
  • Defiant of ‘sin’
• ‘In’ repetition
  
  • Cements, defiance/ assuredness
• Declaration
  
  • Not regretful, aware but self-assured, defiant
• Repetition of personal possessive pronouns
  
  • Possession, suggests how can be through love not inhabitation

Question 5

Analyse second quatrain of sonnet 62

Answer 5

• ‘Methinks no face so gracious is as mine’
  
  • Beauty
• ‘true’ and ‘truth’
  
  • ‘Perfection’ - completion and soul mates???
  • Hints at revelation of poem
  • But asks question of what is true and untrue
  • How far is our identity our own?
• ‘And for myself mine own worth do define,

As I all other in all worths surmount.’

* Value

Question 6

Analyse third quatrain of sonnet 62

Answer 6

• ‘But’
  
  • Volta!
• ‘my glass’
  
  • Associated with distortion - undercuts revelation? How far is what he sees his ‘true’ identity?
• ‘Beated and chopp’d with tanned antiquity,’
  
  • I be ugly in appearance
  • Value in surface level?
  • Hard vowel sounds mimics and emphasises harsh appearance, also maybe shock, jarring for poet and us
• ‘Mine own self-love quite contrary I read;’
  
  • Inverted by mirror
  • One as inverse of other
• ‘Self so self-loving were iniquity.’
  
  • ‘iniquity’ - immoral, wicked
  • The true crime is loving his ‘self’
  • Doubling of self, finding true self in love?
  • Or finding perfection in two together?

Question 7

Analyse concluding couplet of sonnet 62

Answer 7

• '’Tis thee, myself,’
  
  • Paradox - doubling
• ‘that for myself I praise’
  
  • ‘for’ - pretends is himself??
• ‘Painting my age with beauty of thy days’
  
  • Veneer
  • Compliment each other
  • OR deception, not depth of love of soul mates, just surface level
  • Cannot become someone else

Question 8

In conclusion?

Answer 8

• Identity - does the self extend beyond the self?
• At first implied inversion, other half
• No, just a surface level illusion