Sonnet 76 is one of
154 sonnets published by the English playwright and poet
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...
in 1609. It's a member of the
Fair Youth sequence.
Interpretation
This sonnet continues the theme of
Sonnet 38 (38 sonnets ago), in which the ''sweet argument'' of the young man is predicted to inspire endless ''invention''. Sonnets 76 and 38 share four key words: ''invention, sweet, write'' and ''argument.''
This sonnet begins by asking why the poet's verse is lacking in new variations, why the poet doesn't look around at the verse of others and pick up some of the latest fashions, and why his verse is always dressed in a familiar style. The poem's reference to the writings of others anticipates the "Rival Poet" sequence (sonnets 78 to 86), which more explicitly considers other poets. The poem answers its own questions by pointing out that his best work is inspired by fidelity to the subject of the poems.
The sonnet seems to be sincerely self-denigrating about the poet's lack of variety, and lack of incorporating the latest fashions, but at the same time there is a sense that the self-effacing pose doesn't ring true. There is instead a self-asserting quality being implied: that when the poet compares himself with others in the first quatrain they appear to be mere followers of fashion, and (in the second quatrain) that his way of writing is a way for a writer to achieve a style that is distinct. There is also the assertion implied in the sestet that the poet requires fidelity to his subject in order to arrive at a proper style, as opposed to the fickle valuing of constantly changing fashions.
The poet's values, including fidelity to his subject, become dominant by the end of the sonnet, which is suggested metaphorically by the evolution of the meaning of the word ''love''. It is first used (line 9) to refer to the young man ("sweet love"), then in the next line the meaning is changed, and ''love'' is something that parallels the young man ("you and love"). Then in the last line the change is complete so that ''love'' identifies the poet ("So is my love still telling what is told"). The image of the rising and setting sun (line 13) invites the initial assumption that it will refer to the young man as the sun, but that assumption is derailed when the last line indicates that the sun is a metaphor for the poet's love as expressed in verse.
Structure
Sonnet 76 is an English or Shakespearean
sonnet. The English sonnet has three
quatrains, followed by a final rhyming
couplet. It follows the
rhyme scheme
A rhyme scheme is the pattern of rhymes at the end of each line of a poem or song. It is usually referred to by using letters to indicate which lines rhyme; lines designated with the same letter all rhyme with each other.
An example of the ABAB r ...
ABAB CDCD EFEF GG, and is composed in
iambic pentameter
Iambic pentameter () is a type of metric line used in traditional English poetry and verse drama. The term describes the rhythm, or meter, established by the words in that line; rhythm is measured in small groups of syllables called " feet". "Iam ...
, a type of
metre
The metre (British spelling) or meter (American spelling; see spelling differences) (from the French unit , from the Greek noun , "measure"), symbol m, is the primary unit of length in the International System of Units (SI), though its prefi ...
based on five feet in each line, and each foot composed of a pair of syllables accented weak/strong. The 7th line is an example of a regular iambic pentameter:
× / × / × / × / × /
That every word doth almost tell my name, (76.7)
:/ = ''ictus'', a metrically strong syllabic position. × = ''nonictus''.
The 1st line begins with a common variation, an initial reversal (a figure repeated several times in the sonnet), and ends with a less-frequent one, the rightward movement of the 4th ictus (resulting in a 4-position figure,
× × / /
, sometimes referred to as a ''minor ionic''). The 2nd line repeats the minor ionic at the same point in the line:
/ × × / × / × × / /
Why is my verse so barren of new pride,
× / × / ×/ × × / /
So far from variation or quick change? (76.1-2)
Notes
In the reference of line 4 to "new-found methods" found in the works of others, Shakespeare may be referring to
Michael Drayton's sonnets that were republished with many variations beginning in 1599, and were advertised to have a "readiness to experiment".
The word ''weed'' in line 6 is an expression common in Shakespeare's works used to mean garments or dress. It occurs in that sense in many plays, including in ''The Two Gentleman of Verona'', when the character Julia wants to dress herself as a young man, she says "fit me with such weeds/As may beseem some well reputed page."
"Noted weed" means ''familiar clothing''. The Norton Shakespeare annotates "and keep invention in a noted weed" thus: ''And keep literary creativity in such familiar clothing''. The
Oxford English Dictionary
The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' (''OED'') is the first and foundational historical dictionary of the English language, published by Oxford University Press (OUP). It traces the historical development of the English language, providing a co ...
's definition of ''weed'' is "an article of apparel; a garment", and is consistent with the theme of mending, re-using, etc. ("all my best is dressing old words new").
The "noted weed" of line 6 and the images of lines 7 and 8 seems to be echoed in a poem by
Ben Jonson
Benjamin "Ben" Jonson (c. 11 June 1572 – c. 16 August 1637) was an English playwright and poet. Jonson's artistry exerted a lasting influence upon English poetry and stage comedy. He popularised the comedy of humours; he is best known for t ...
, published in the first pages of the
First Folio
''Mr. William Shakespeare's Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies'' is a collection of plays by William Shakespeare, commonly referred to by modern scholars as the First Folio, published in 1623, about seven years after Shakespeare's death. It is cons ...
that notes the distinctiveness and authenticity of Shakespeare's lines:
The suggestion that Shakespeare used the word ''weed'' in its contemporary connection with hemp is suggested by nobody. In 2001 some scientists from South Africa tested clay pipes that had been dug up over the years from various locations around Stratford-upon-Avon, tested them for chemicals and found no evidence that Shakespeare smoked clay pipes or used marijuana. This was not a notable study and is largely ignored.
Harvard Magazine Sep-Oct 2001.
/ref>
Interpretations
*Diana Rigg
Dame Enid Diana Elizabeth Rigg (20 July 193810 September 2020) was an English actress of stage and screen. Her roles include Emma Peel in the TV series '' The Avengers'' (1965–1968); Countess Teresa di Vicenzo, wife of James Bond, in ''On H ...
, for the 2002 compilation album, ''When Love Speaks
''When Love Speaks'' is a compilation album that features interpretations of William Shakespeare's sonnets – some spoken, some set to music – and excerpts from his plays by famous actors and musicians, released under EMI Classics in April ...
'' (EMI Classics
EMI Classics was a record label founded by Thorn EMI in 1990 to reduce the need to create country-specific packaging and catalogues for internationally distributed classical music releases. After Thorn EMI demerged in 1996, its recorded mus ...
)
In music
* Poeterra recorded a pop rock version of Sonnet 76 on their album
When in Disgrace
(2014).
* Alfred Janson
Alfred Janson (10 March 1937 – 19 May 2019) was a Norwegian pianist and composer. He was born in Oslo as the son of sculptor Gunnar Janson and pianist Margrethe Gleditsch, and was brother of journalist Mette Janson. He was first married to ac ...
set the sonnet for SATB choir with Tenor/Baritone solo (2000).
References
Further reading
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sonnet 076
British poems
Sonnets by William Shakespeare