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. Sonnet 10 . (original language, but moderately updated) 01. For shame deny that thou bear'st love to any 02. Who for thyself art so unprovident 03. Grant if thou wilt, thou art beloved of many, 04. But that thou none lovest is most evident: 05. For thou art so possess'd with murderous hate, 06. That 'gainst thyself thou stick'st not to conspire, 07. Seeking that beauteous roof to ruinate 08. Which to repair should be thy chief desire: 09. O change thy thought, that I may change my mind, 10. Shall hate be fairer lodged than gentle love? 11. Be as thy presence is gracious and kind, 12. Or to thyself at least kind hearted prove, 13. Make thee another self for love of me, 14. That beauty still may live in thine or thee. |
. Sonnet 10 . (paraphrased) 01. For, a shame it is, you deny that you love anybody, and 02. Are one who, for himself, is so improvident, 03. But grant, if you will, you are the beloved of many; 04. However, it's all too apparent that you love nobody, 05. Since, you must be so consumed with life-ending ill will, 06. That you won't stop even at plotting against yourself, 07. And seeking to destroy that lovely family home, 08. Which it should be your chief desire to maintain; 09. Please change your point of view, so that I can change my mind about you; 10. Is it right that ill will should have a fairer dwelling place than tender love of one's own kind? 11. Be, in your heart, gracious and kind, the same as your outward presence is, 12. Or at least, show that you're kind hearted to yourself. 13. Have a son out of sympathy for me, (who has lost his own son,) 14. So that beauty may always live, in yourself and your descendants. |
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Sonnet 10 Gloss
L1: For shame - Used as an attention getter, but not the typical meaning of the phrase. L1: deny - By your actions. L2: unprovident = improvident; imprudent; uncaring of the future. L3: if thou wilt = for the sake of argument. (Note, to the right.) L4: evident = apparent; obvious. (Note, to the right.) L5: possess'd = consumed. Also, it carries a hint as if a diabolical force has possessed him, causing evil thoughts. L5: murderous = life ending. L5: hate = ill will. L6: stick'st = hesitate; scruple; stop. L6: conspire = scheme, plot. L7: beauteous = lovely (in both senses.) L7: roof = manor; a family home. L7: ruinate = destroy. L8: repair = maintain. L10: lodged - In the heart. Implies, again, a lodging, a family home. L10: gentle = tender; kind. The 'kind' implication implies love of one's kind, one's kith and kin. L11: kind = kindly. Also implies one's own kind: family. L12: kind hearted = kindly. L12: prove = show. L13: love - (Note, to the right.) L14: still = always. |
Sonnet 10 Notes
L3: if thou wilt = for the sake of argument. The word "wilt" itself implies deterioration, like a leaf on a tree about to fall, hinting of the addressee's eventual death. It's a word usage compatible with the theme in that way. There are many who love the addressee, and don't want to see his beauty just "wilt." L4: evident = apparent; obvious. The phrasing hints of a legal indictment - with a suggestion of evidence here in line 4, and then the subsequent implications of murder, line 5, conspiracy, line 6, and the request for proof, line 12. "Grant" in line 3 is on the same line. The Poet is "indicting" the addressee, which accounts for the strength of the language (such as "murderous.") The language may look excessive if one doesn't realize it's facetiously legalistic. L13: love In other treatments of the Sonnets, one may encounter the bizarre idea of the Poet expressing romantic love for the addressee, but that's silliness. As used here in line 13, "love" means "sympathy." This Sonnet was probably written in 1597, and Shakespeare's son, Hamnet, died in 1596. The apparent incongruity of line 13, which some see, is because the Poet is providing a subtle reminder that he can personally affirm the value of a son, having lost his own. Therefore, the addressee should realize the importance of having a son. |
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