2. Let me not to the marriage of true minds,
Admit Impediments.
Love is not love, Which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove:
3. O no! it is an ever-fixed mark
That looks on tempests and is never shaken;
It is the star to every wandering bark,
Whose worth’s unknown, although his height be taken.
4. Love’s not Time’s fool, though rosy lips and cheeks,
Within his bending sickle’s compass come:
Love alters NOT with his brief hours and weeks,
5. If this be error upon me proved,
I never writ, nor no man EVER loved.
6. Let me not to the marriage of true minds,
Admit impediments. Love is not love,
Which alters when it alteration finds, 1 quatrain
Or bends with the remover to remove:
O no! It is an ever fixed mark!
That looks on tempests and is never shaken;
It is the star to every wandering bark,
2 quatrain
Whose worth’s unknown, although his height be taken.
Love’s not Time’s fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
Within his bending sickle’s compass come:
Love alters NOT with his brief hours and weeks, 3 quatrain
But bears it out even to the edge of doom.
If this be error upon me proved,
I never writ, nor no man ever loved. 1 couplet
7. Let me not to the marriage of true minds,
Admit impediments. Love is not love,
Which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove:
O no! It is an ever fixed mark!
That looks on tempests and is never shaken;
It is the star to every wandering bark,
Whose worth’s unknown, although his height be taken.
Love’s not Time’s fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
Within his bending sickle’s compass come:
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
But bears it out even to the edge of doom.
If this be error upon me proved,
I never writ, nor no man ever loved.
9. Sources
• Shakespeare
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ell-r-
brown/4982873486/sizes/o/in/photostream/
• Aisle
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lesphotosdejerome/2193243197/si
zes/o/in/photostream/
• Ball
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jughead_jones/522672333/sizes/o/
in/photostream/
• Couple in Ocean
http://www.flickr.com/photos/millzero/2408535634/sizes/z/in/ph
otostream/
• McClelland, D. C. (1986), Some reflections on the two psychologies
of love. Journal of Personality, 54: 334–353. (June 1986).
Editor's Notes
Shakespeare is well known for his articulate language and at times, creating language like “puking” (As You Like It) and “In a pickle” (The Tempest). And as you can see in the first couple lines, he writes in a way we no longer see. “Let me not to the marriage of true minds, Admit Impediments.” This is Shakespeare’s fancy way of saying that he does not believe anything should get between two people in true devoted love. He continues his old style language in this next couplet. But it simply means what you call love is not love if it changes under tension, or bends through infidelity. It might not be well known but this is a strong reason they use diamonds in wedding rings. It’s a precious gem but diamonds are the hardest substance in the world, as Shakespeare believes true love is a hard rock that cannot be altered. What pressures are in marriage? Is it overwhelming even just looking down the aisle? What if someone came in and stopped the wedding? This sonnet starts out expressing there shouldn’t be anything to stop true love. But the pressures of family, friends and the general public can make this difficult, especially with it being such a large decision in life. Work, children, and especially money put a strain on relationships. But the largest issue in many marriages is trust.
Love is an ever-fixed mark and a rock to people as a lighthouse is a guide to a boat. “These experiences do not refer to equity or to the selfish advantages to be gained from a relationship, but of altruistic undying devotion. Is such devotion part of the psychology of love?” This question raised by Maclelland (335) is directed toward the previous couplet but it also fits here. We must remember who Shakespeare was. He was a man who wrote about love and tragedy. Are these to be tied into each other; a sort of tragic love like Romeo and Juliet? Or is it some sort of illness that attaches itself to love? Many of William Shakespeare’s writings are truthfully messed up; so many characters fall into some sort of rage or hunger for power. They lose themselves and many of these people are married and lose their loved ones from this. So Maclelland’s question is valid in questioning Shakespeare’s authority. Does he really believe love is what he says love is? Do you sometimes feel that only one person understands you? Helps you? Do they shape who you are? What you do? Can they keep you from going out of control? Do they keep you sane even when you’re strung out?
Will your love last forever? What if one of you died? Love is not dependant on time. This is not just from Shakespeare, this is a convention we as humans have had for many years but Shakespeare brings this up, as it is one of the basic requirements for true love. Even Maclelland mentions this when he discusses his wife, “We had felt we were part of something which was much bigger than ourselves— which had nurtured and supported us throughout our long life together and which continued to support me after her death.” This is important to recognize from someone who was married to the same woman for 42 years. Love is not something you instantly fall into; it is something you gain, something you develop over time with somebody.Love doesn’t change even near Time’s end but is there until the end of life and continues beyond the grave. There is always a lasting impact on the world. The marriage of true minds gives life to the world; it spawns more wisdom, more hope, and more love through each other.
And if this can be proven wrong, then I’ve never written. But William Shakespeare did write, he wrote 5 poems, 37 plays, and 154 sonnets, at least we think a single Shakespeare wrote them all. It has been rumored among critics inside and outside of classrooms that Shakespeare was not a single person. Many argue the styles of writing are different from one another, some argue that for one man to write everything Shakespeare did is unrealistic for any man especially with his lack of education. But whether he is one person, a person with a pseudonym, or a collection of writers, he is still accredited with the literary beauty that he embodied in his writings.
Every sonnet has three quatrains (4 line paragraphs) and one couplet (2 line paragraph).
They also have a rhyming pattern of ababcdcdefefgg as shown by the colors. While some of these words may not rhyme now, they all rhymed in the 16th and 17th centuries. Proved and loved, for example, are pronounced simply as “prüv” and “ləv” but in Shakespeare’s day, they were prȯv-ed and lȯv-ed.
