| SONNET 46 |
PARAPHRASE |
| Mine eye and heart are at a mortal war |
My eyes and heart are fighting a deadly battle |
| How to divide the conquest of thy sight; |
About how to divide the conquest of your image; |
| Mine eye my heart thy picture's sight would bar, |
My eyes would prevent my heart from looking upon your picture, |
| My heart mine eye the freedom of that right. |
My heart would prevent my eyes the right to see the picture. |
| My heart doth plead that thou in him dost lie-- |
My heart pleads that you lie there (in my heart)-- |
| A closet never pierced with crystal eyes-- |
A closet never pierced by bright eyes*-- |
| But the defendant doth that plea deny |
But the defendant (my eyes) denies this |
| And says in him thy fair appearance lies. |
And says that your fair appearance lies in him. |
| To 'cide this title is impanneled |
To decide this title is enrolled* |
| A quest of thoughts, all tenants to the heart, |
A jury made up of thoughts, all of which live in my heart, |
| And by their verdict is determined |
And by their verdict is determined |
| The clear eye's moiety and the dear heart's part: |
The keen eye's share (of your picture) and the heart's dear share: |
| As thus; mine eye's due is thy outward part, |
As this: your outward part is given to my eyes, |
| And my heart's right thy inward love of heart. |
And your inner heart (your love) is given to my heart. |
ANALYSIS
[Line 2]* 'conquests' = spoils of war.
[Line 6]* ie. A closet into which common eye sight, no matter how bright or 'crystal', can never penetrate.
[Line 9]* Here 'title' means a legal right of possession.
Sonnet 46 is one in a series of 'eye-heart' Sonnets (24, 38, and 47 are the others) and it is one of the more difficult for modern readers to understand, partially due to the conceit of the war between the poet's eyes and heart, and the use of legal terminology. Regarding the references to 'titles' and 'verdicts': "Contemporary life is reflected in the impaneling the jury, the tenants of the manor: their verdict was to award a 'moiety', ie. 1/2, to each. We still retain the word 'quest' in local country speech: a 'crowner's quest' means coroner's inquest." (A. L. Rowse. Shakespeare's Sonnets. London: Macmillan & Co. 1964, [95]). For more information on the eye-heart Sonnets, see the analysis of Sonnet 47. |
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How to Cite this Article
Mabillard, Amanda. "An Analysis of Shakespeare's Sonnet 46". Shakespeare Online. 2000. http://www.shakespeare-online.com (day/month/year). |
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