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. Sonnet 20 . (original language, but moderately updated) 01. A woman's face with nature's own hand painted, 02. Hast thou the Master Mistress of my passion, 03. A woman's gentle heart but not acquainted 04. With shifting change as is false women's fashion; 05. An eye more bright than theirs, less false in rolling: 06. Gilding the object where-upon it gazeth, 07. A man in hue all Hues in his controlling, 08. Much steals men's eyes and women's souls amazeth. 09. And for a woman wert thou first created, 10. Till nature as she wrought thee fell a-doting, 11. And by addition me of thee defeated, 12. By adding one thing to my purpose nothing. 13. But since she pricked thee out for women's pleasure, 14. Mine be thy love and thy love's use their treasure. |
. Sonnet 20 . (paraphrased) 01. A woman's face, created by Mother Nature's own hand, 02. Is what you have, Mister "Mistress" of my display of emotion, and 03. A woman's kind (in both senses) heart, but one that's unfamiliar 04. With artificial change, in the way of unfaithful women's manner, 05. An eye more lively and witty than a woman's, and in action "truer," in both senses of the word, 06. Decorating, and adding value to, the object upon which it gazes, 07. A man in form and nature, with both sexes in your repertoire, and able to convince both sexes, 08. Nearly "stealing" men's eyes, and amazing women down to their souls. 09. So it must be you were first intended to be a woman, 10. Until Nature, as she formed you, began to adore you, 11. And gave you "Will" to defeat me, where you're concerned, 12. By adding one thing, male sex, which is, for my purpose, nothing. 13. But since she chose and equipped you for women's pleasure, 14. Let your emotional love be mine, and your physical activity as a lover be women's "treasure." |
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Sonnet 20 Gloss
L1: woman's face - The boy has features that can be seen as a woman's, which would of course be required for his roles. It's part of why he was hired. L2: Master Mistress - Out of costume the boy is "Master," and in costume he's "Mistress." L2: passion = the display of extreme emotion. A show of emotion. (Note, to the right.) L3: gentle = kind. "Kind" is probably the best equivalent in paraphrase, taken to mean both 'tender' and the 'same kind.' L3: not acquainted = inexperienced. Unfamiliar (with.) L4: shifting = tricky, affected, artificial in the sense of 'artifice.' The boy is complimented that while his appearance, as a woman, is false, his heart is truer than a woman's. L4: false = untrue, in the sense of lacking fidelity. L4: fashion = style, manner. Also 'temporary interest.' (Double meaning.) L5: bright = shining. Also 'lively' or 'witty.' L5: false = deceptive. L5: rolling = wandering. (Note, to the right.) L6: Gilding = decorating, 'painting.' Also 'treasuring,' adding value to. Gold is treasure, and value is a matter of perception. (Note, to the right.) L7: hue = form, nature. L7: controlling = repertoire, range of performance. Also, "in his controlling" = under his control, in performance. (Double meaning.) In performance, the boy can play either boy or girl, and convince both men and women, either way. L8: Much = nearly, almost. (Note, to the right.) L8: amazeth = astounds. The boy, in costume, can look and act enough like a woman to fool women. L9: And = So it must be. 10: wrought = worked on, formed, shaped. L10: fell a-doting = "fell for you," began to adore you. L11: me = both literal, and also Will, the Poet's name, which is wordplay. (Note, to the right.) L11: of = either literal, or 'to.' There is intentional ambiguity, in connection with the "dual nature" of line 11. 12: thing = male sex. 13: pricked = chose, and also wordplay on the male sex organ. 14: treasure - A paradoxical word usage, since "treasure" is euphemistic of the female sex organs. |
Sonnet 20 Notes
Sonnet 20 was written by William Shakespeare, and it concerns the boy actor who played the young women characters for Shakespeare's playing company. The boy is not the same young man who is urged to marry in the first group of Sonnets, numbers 1 to 17. The Sonnet is written so that all the lines have "feminine" endings, poetically speaking. That is, each line ends with an unstressed syllable. It's a sophisticated and professional way of matching the style to the subject. The Sonnet has sexual teasing, but it does not imply any homosexual behavior. In fact, it explicitly rejects any homosexuality. (By the way, Sonnet 126 is to this same boy, and not to the young man of the first group of seventeen Sonnets.) This Sonnet may have been written sometime during the course of the so-called 'Dark Lady' Sonnets, since it contains statements which imply the Poet viewing women in a dim light. It is, at least, reminiscent of the Dark Lady Sonnets in that way. The implications are another indication that the original Sonnets publication does not have the Sonnets in the order in which they were written. ------- L2: passion = the display of extreme emotion. A show of emotion. The word "passion" is facetious. Just as the boy plays a role in imitating a woman, the Poet is playing a role of great emotion over it. There is "acting" going on. Shakespeare, himself, wrote: "All the world's a stage." This Sonnet is what might be called a "players sonnet," one which involves roles. Compare use of the word "passion" in Hamlet Scene 9 (Act 3 scene 2): ~ Hamlet: Speak the speech, I pray you, as I pronounc'd it to you, trippingly on the tongue. ... ... but use all gently; for in the very torrent, tempest, and (as I may say) whirlwind of your passion, you must acquire and beget a temperance that may give it smoothness. O, it offends me to the soul to hear a robustious periwig-pated fellow tear a passion to tatters ... ~~~ Hamlet is using "passion" in reference to an actor's performance. Also, compare the use of "passion" in As You Like It (Act 3 scene 2): ~ Rosalind: ... and in this manner. He was to imagine me his love, his mistress; and I set him every day to woo me; at which time would I, being but a moonish youth, grieve, be effeminate, ... shallow, inconstant, full of tears, full of smiles; for every passion something and for no passion truly anything, ... ~~~ Rosalind is using "passion" in reference to "putting on a show." (The boy who is the subject of this Sonnet probably played Rosalind.) L5: rolling = wandering. A reference to fickleness, it means favoring first one thing, then another, by gazing upon them in turn. "Rolling" also has a literal reading, with respect to the emotion displayed by rolling the eye. L6: Gilding = decorating, 'painting.' Also 'treasuring,' adding value to. Gold is treasure, and value is a matter of perception. Line 6 can be read with a double meaning, as to whether it's the boy's eye, or women's eyes that are meant. The ambiguity is intentional. The Poet has it that the boy's eye "adds value," while the woman's eye only "paints," figuratively speaking. L8: Much = nearly. "Much steals" = 'nearly takes,' a poetic exaggeration that the boy, costumed as a woman, can "nearly take" men's eyes out of their sockets. The boy can make men widen their eyes, as though their eyes were going to fall out. The word "much" used in this way is usually followed by "like" or "as" but not always. For examples: Roger Ascham, The Scholemaster: "I heare saie, you haue a sonne, moch of his age..." Shakespeare, Rape of Lucrece: "Much like a press of people at a door." Francis Bacon, Of Custom and Education: "Men's thoughts, are much according to their inclination." L11: me = both literal, and also Will, the Poet's name, which is wordplay. "Me" is a "double-duty" word in the line, to be repeated. That is: 'And by the addition of "Will" (me,) me defeated of thee' = 'And by the addition of "Will" (me,) defeated me of thee' "Will" is male sexual desire and characteristics, physically and symbolically phallic. This Sonnet has an implicit link to the "Will" Sonnets, numbers 135 and 136, although originally printed more than a hundred Sonnets apart from them. |
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