# Sonnet CXXXIX explained — Poetry

> Chapter companion for Poetry by William Shakespeare.

## 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.

## Character check-ins

### 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 lines

> 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._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_28_se/chapters/cxxxix
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_28_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_28_se/chapters