Sonet 116 Flashcards
Q: What is the main theme of Sonnet 116?
A: The poem explores the theme of true love, emphasizing its constancy, unchanging nature, and ability to endure hardships.
Q: What is the structure of Sonnet 116?
A: The poem follows the traditional Shakespearean sonnet structure: 14 lines, written in iambic pentameter, with an ABABCDCDEFEFGG rhyme scheme.
Q: How does Shakespeare define true love in the poem?
A: True love is described as unwavering and constant, unaffected by external changes: “Love is not love / Which alters when it alteration finds.”
Q: What is the significance of the phrase “Let me not to the marriage of true minds / Admit impediments”?
A: Shakespeare rejects any obstacles to true love, suggesting that genuine love is pure and should not be hindered.
Q: How does the poet use metaphor to describe love?
A: Love is compared to a guiding star: “It is the star to every wandering bark,” meaning it provides direction and guidance like the North Star for lost sailors.
Q: What does the phrase “Love’s not Time’s fool” suggest?
A: It implies that true love is not controlled by time and does not fade with age or external circumstances.
Q: How does Shakespeare reinforce the idea of love’s endurance?
A: By stating “Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks, / But bears it out even to the edge of doom,” suggesting love lasts forever, even through challenges.
Q: What is the effect of the concluding couplet?
A: “If this be error and upon me proved, / I never writ, nor no man ever loved.” This bold claim reinforces his confidence in his definition of love, implying its absolute truth.
Q: How does the use of enjambment contribute to the poem’s message?
A: Enjambment (lines flowing into each other without pause) mirrors the continuous, enduring nature of true love.
Q: How does Sonnet 116 compare to If-?
A: Both poems discuss enduring qualities—Sonnet 116 on love’s constancy, If- on resilience and perseverance.
Q: What is the significance of Shakespeare’s personification of time?
A: Time is depicted as having power over physical beauty (“rosy lips and cheeks”) but not over love, reinforcing love’s eternal nature.
Q: How does Shakespeare use contrast in the poem?
A: He contrasts true love’s permanence with the fleeting nature of physical beauty and external changes.
Q: What is the importance of the phrase “the edge of doom”?
A: It refers to Judgment Day, reinforcing that true love is eternal and transcends even death.
