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  • Essay / The theme of love in William Shakespeare's Sonnet 141

    The theme of Sonnet 141 conveyed by William Shakespeare, using specific language and tone, is that love does not always go both ways . Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay In this particular sonnet, a man and a woman are in an engaged relationship, but the man thinks he is stupid for loving her. For example, the man explains that his heart loves him but he contradicts this. He thinks that the woman he loves may not be right for him. For example, he says that in his lover resides “a note of a thousand errors.” Through the use of hyperbole, the author reveals the theme by illustrating the many flaws the man sees in his lover. The theme is expressed this way because he would be unlikely to love someone with whom he sees so much wrong. The critical man then goes on to say that he does not desire to smell, taste, hear, “nor [share] tender feelings.” In line 6, the speaker uses imagery to show that the man does not want to be with his “lover” at all. His appearance is atrocious. This type of language shows the reader that they may not like her at all. The man soon goes on to say that he loves her, but he blames her "foolish heart for loving him." The author's diction, in line 10, describes how it may be a mistake for him to love him. Despite this, he is attracted to the relationship which could deteriorate his character. This is also why he considers himself an idiot. In conclusion, the author conveys the idea that the man is not particularly intelligent to share a relationship with a woman against whom he has so much hatred. Shakespeare writes that the man does not believe he gets much out of the relationship, further conveying the theme as love is not both ways. To illustrate this, the man thinks out loud that she may not be the best woman for him. He knows he doesn't love her very much and thinks he's not getting enough out of the relationship. The man says that his eyes and senses despise her, but his heart “loves what they despise.” In the third line, the poem repeatedly moves to where it seems like he loves the woman, even after talking dirty about her. This makes it clear that the man is on the verge of loving or hating her, thus conveying the theme. At one point he says that "proud hearts are slaves" to loving someone who isn't right for them. Shakespeare creates a heavy tone by using personification to illustrate the idea that man views his love as a laborious task. For many obvious reasons, the man does not get anything good from this relationship. He even dares to call it work to love her, supporting this idea. Along with this, he describes his love for her, calling it a "plague". The effect of the metaphor comparing his love to a plague creates an atmosphere of danger and toxicity. The relationship is heavy enough for the man to the point that he would say it is like a fatal illness. The relationship does more harm than good to the man, even if his lover appears unharmed. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay In summary, Shakespeare conveys the theme by displaying the idea that the man was in a relationship that yielded no rewards.