Sonnet CLII explained

What happens

Themes in this chapter

• Truth and Deception

  The speaker and beloved both engage in oath-breaking and false swearing, highlighting the theme of truth versus deception in love.

• Lust and Morality

  The breaking of bed-vows and the conflict between love and moral integrity reflect the tension between lust and morality.

Characters to notice

• William Shakespeare

  The speaker who confesses his own perjury and accuses the beloved of breaking vows.

• Dark Lady

  The beloved who is twice forsworn, having broken her bed-vow and sworn new hate after new love.

Key passages

• “In loving thee thou know’st I am forsworn, But thou art twice forsworn, to me love swearing, In act thy bed-vow broke and new faith torn In vowing new hate after new love bearing.”

  You know that by loving you I have broken my vows, but you have broken your vows twice: first by breaking your marriage oath to me, and then by swearing new hatred after professing new love.

  The speaker acknowledges mutual betrayal, with the beloved's infidelity being twofold.

• “For I have sworn deep oaths of thy deep kindness, Oaths of thy love, thy truth, thy constancy, And, to enlighten thee, gave eyes to blindness, Or made them swear against the thing they see; For I have sworn thee fair; more perjured I, To swear against the truth so foul a lie!”

  I have sworn solemn oaths about your kindness, love, truth, and faithfulness, and to make you seem virtuous I blinded my own eyes or made them swear to what they knew was false; I swore you were beautiful, but I am even more perjured for swearing such a foul lie against the truth.

  The speaker admits his own greater guilt in lying about the beloved's true nature.