Poetry · Chapter
Sonnet CXXII explained
The poet declares that the beloved's gift (tables) is inscribed in his memory, which will last forever, and that he does not need physical reminders because his mind holds the beloved more truly.
What happens
The poet declares that the beloved's gift (tables) is inscribed in his memory, which will last forever, and that he does not need physical reminders because his mind holds the beloved more truly.
Themes in this chapter
Time and Mortality
The poet contrasts the ephemeral nature of physical objects with the enduring quality of memory, which lasts 'beyond all date, even to eternity.'
Truth and Deception
The poet implies that relying on an external object to remember the beloved would be a falsehood, suggesting that true remembrance is internal and authentic.
Characters to notice
- William Shakespeare
The speaker who asserts that the beloved's gift is etched in his memory.
Key passages
“Thy gift, thy tables, are within my brain Full character’d with lasting memory”
Your gift, the writing tablets, are engraved in my mind with enduring memory.
The poet emphasizes that the beloved's gift is not physically kept but is inscribed in his memory.
“To keep an adjunct to remember thee Were to import forgetfulness in me.”
To keep an extra aid to remember you would imply that I am forgetful.
The poet argues that needing a physical reminder would suggest his memory is faulty.