Poetry · Chapter
Sonnet CXI explained
The speaker laments his public profession, which has tainted his name and subdued his nature, and begs his friend for pity and renewal, believing that the friend's compassion alone can cure him.
What happens
The speaker laments his public profession, which has tainted his name and subdued his nature, and begs his friend for pity and renewal, believing that the friend's compassion alone can cure him.
Themes in this chapter
Truth and Deception
The speaker's public persona is a deceptive brand that masks his true nature, and he seeks the truth of his friend's pity to restore his authentic self.
Characters to notice
- Fortune
Addressed as the guilty goddess responsible for the speaker's harmful deeds and public life.
- William Shakespeare
The speaker who reflects on the stain of his public profession and seeks renewal through the friend's pity.
Key passages
“O, for my sake do you with Fortune chide, The guilty goddess of my harmful deeds, That did not better for my life provide Than public means which public manners breeds.”
For my sake, scold Fortune, the guilty goddess responsible for my harmful actions, because she provided me with no better livelihood than a public profession that breeds vulgar habits.
The speaker blames Fortune for forcing him into a degrading public role.
“Thence comes it that my name receives a brand, And almost thence my nature is subdued To what it works in, like the dyer’s hand:”
As a result, my reputation is stained, and my very nature is nearly overcome by the work I do, just as a dyer's hand is colored by the dye.
The speaker compares his moral taint to a dyer's permanently stained hand.
“Pity me then, dear friend, and I assure ye Even that your pity is enough to cure me.”
So have pity on me, dear friend, and I promise you that your compassion alone is sufficient to heal me.
The speaker believes the friend's pity is a complete cure for his affliction.