Poetry · Chapter
Sonnet CXII explained
The speaker declares that the beloved's love and pity erase the shame of public scandal, and that he cares only for the beloved's judgment, shutting out all other voices as if the rest of the world were dead.
What happens
The speaker declares that the beloved's love and pity erase the shame of public scandal, and that he cares only for the beloved's judgment, shutting out all other voices as if the rest of the world were dead.
Themes in this chapter
Truth and Deception
The speaker contrasts the 'vulgar scandal' of public opinion with the truth he finds in the beloved's judgment.
Love and Desire
The beloved's love is the speaker's entire world, overriding all external criticism.
Characters to notice
- William Shakespeare
The speaker who dismisses public opinion and relies solely on the beloved's approval.
- Love
Personified as the source of the beloved's pity and the force that fills the impression of scandal.
Key passages
“Your love and pity doth the impression fill Which vulgar scandal stamp’d upon my brow”
Your love and compassion erase the mark that common gossip has left on my reputation.
The speaker credits the beloved's affection with healing the damage of public shame.
“You are my all the world, and I must strive To know my shames and praises from your tongue”
You are my entire universe, and I must learn my faults and virtues only from what you say.
The speaker elevates the beloved's opinion above all others.
“You are so strongly in my purpose bred That all the world besides methinks are dead”
You are so deeply ingrained in my being that everyone else seems dead to me.
The speaker's devotion to the beloved makes the rest of the world irrelevant.