Poetry · Chapter
Sonnet LXXXVIII explained
The poet declares that even if the beloved chooses to scorn him, he will side against himself and defend the beloved's virtue, concealing his own faults to ensure the beloved gains glory.
What happens
The poet declares that even if the beloved chooses to scorn him, he will side against himself and defend the beloved's virtue, concealing his own faults to ensure the beloved gains glory. This self-sacrificing love turns the beloved's injuries into double advantage for the poet, who belongs so completely to the beloved that he will bear all wrong for the beloved's sake.
Themes in this chapter
Truth and Deception
The poet deliberately conceals his own faults and tells a story of his attainder to make the beloved appear virtuous, using deception to serve a higher truth of love.
Love and Desire
The poet's love is so absolute that he willingly bears all wrong and turns injuries into advantages for the beloved, exemplifying selfless devotion.
Characters to notice
- William Shakespeare
The poet-speaker who vows to fight against himself to prove the beloved virtuous.
- Love
Personified as the force that bends all loving thoughts on the beloved, driving the poet's self-sacrifice.
Key passages
“When thou shalt be disposed to set me light And place my merit in the eye of scorn, Upon thy side against myself I’ll fight And prove thee virtuous, though thou art forsworn.”
If you decide to belittle me and treat my worth with contempt, I will take your side and argue against myself, defending your virtue even if you have broken your promises.
The poet's paradoxical loyalty to the beloved despite being scorned.
“Such is my love, to thee I so belong, That for thy right myself will bear all wrong.”
My love for you is so complete that I belong to you entirely, and for your sake I will endure any injustice against myself.
The concluding couplet encapsulates the poet's total self-sacrifice for the beloved's honor.