# Sonnet LXX explained — Poetry

> Chapter companion for Poetry by William Shakespeare.

## What happens

The poet reassures the young man that slander is a natural companion to beauty and virtue, and that his innocence has so far withstood temptation. Yet he warns that this praise alone cannot permanently silence envy, implying that only by proving his worth through action—likely by marrying and having children—can he truly secure his legacy.

## Themes in this chapter

### Truth and Deception

The poem explores how slander (deception) targets the fair and virtuous, and how truth is ultimately vindicated by goodness.

### Beauty and Transience

Beauty is portrayed as an ornament that attracts suspicion, and the young man's 'pure unstained prime' is a fleeting state that must be secured against time and envy.

## Character check-ins

### Youth

The young man is addressed as the subject of slander and praise, his purity and virtue celebrated.

### Time

Time is personified as a wooer that tests the young man's worth.

## Key lines

> That thou art blamed shall not be thy defect, For slander’s mark was ever yet the fair;

Being blamed is not your fault, because slander has always targeted the beautiful.

_The poet reassures the young man that blame is a sign of his worth, not a flaw._

> The ornament of beauty is suspect, A crow that flies in heaven’s sweetest air.

Suspicion is an ornament that accompanies beauty, like a crow flying in the sweetest air of heaven.

_Beauty naturally attracts suspicion, just as a dark crow stands out in a pure sky._

> Thou hast pass’d by the ambush of young days, Either not assail’d or victor being charged;

You have escaped the traps of youth, either never attacked or having triumphed when challenged.

_The young man has successfully navigated the temptations and dangers of his early years._

> If some suspect of ill mask’d not thy show, Then thou alone kingdoms of hearts shouldst owe.

If some suspicion of evil did not shadow your appearance, you alone would rule over the hearts of all.

_The poet suggests that a hint of imperfection makes the young man's virtue more believable and his conquest of hearts more complete._

## Links

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