Poetry · Chapter
Sonnet CXXXIX explained
The speaker pleads with his beloved not to justify her unkindness by wounding him with her eyes, but rather to be direct and honest.
What happens
The speaker pleads with his beloved not to justify her unkindness by wounding him with her eyes, but rather to be direct and honest. He asks her to tell him if she loves elsewhere, but not to glance aside in his presence. He acknowledges that her looks are his enemies and that she turns them away to hurt him elsewhere, yet he ultimately begs her to kill him outright with her looks rather than prolong his pain.
Themes in this chapter
Truth and Deception
The speaker implores his beloved to be truthful about her affections rather than using deceptive glances to wound him.
Love and Desire
The speaker's intense desire and emotional vulnerability are central, as he pleads for directness even in rejection.
Characters to notice
- William Shakespeare
The speaker of the sonnet, addressing his beloved.
- Dark Lady
The beloved whose unkindness and sidelong glances cause the speaker's pain.
Key passages
“O, call not me to justify the wrong That thy unkindness lays upon my heart”
Do not ask me to excuse the hurt your cruelty causes me.
The speaker refuses to rationalize the beloved's unkindness.
“Tell me thou lovest elsewhere, but in my sight, Dear heart, forbear to glance thine eye aside”
If you love someone else, just tell me directly, but do not look away from me in my presence.
The speaker prefers honest words over deceptive actions.
“Kill me outright with looks and rid my pain”
If you must hurt me, do it openly with your gaze and end my suffering.
The speaker begs for a direct, final rejection rather than prolonged torment.