Introduction: “Sonnet 22: My Glass Shall Not Persuade” by William Shakespeare
“Sonnet 22: My Glass Shall Not Persuade” by William Shakespeare was published in 1609 as part of the Quarto, a collection of 154 sonnets exploring themes of love, beauty, and the passage of time. This particular sonnet stands out for its clever wordplay, addressing the concept of aging while boldly asserting the speaker’s self-assurance. The speaker’s steadfast belief in their beloved’s enduring love, regardless of physical appearance, showcases a mature understanding of relationships and a rejection of superficiality. Additionally, the sonnet’s structure follows the traditional Shakespearean form, demonstrating the poet’s mastery of technique and his ability to infuse even classic structures with a unique voice and perspective.
Text: “Sonnet 22: My Glass Shall Not Persuade” by William Shakespeare
My glass shall not persuade me I am old,
So long as youth and thou are of one date;
But when in thee time’s furrows I behold,
Then look I death my days should expiate.
For all that beauty that doth cover thee,
Is but the seemly raiment of my heart,
Which in thy breast doth live, as thine in me:
How can I then be elder than thou art?
O! therefore love, be of thyself so wary
As I, not for myself, but for thee will;
Bearing thy heart, which I will keep so chary
As tender nurse her babe from faring ill.
Presume not on thy heart when mine is slain,
Thou gav’st me thine not to give back again.
Annotations: “Sonnet 22: My Glass Shall Not Persuade” by William Shakespeare
| Original Line | Annotation |
| My glass shall not persuade me I am old, | The speaker refuses to acknowledge his aging appearance in the mirror. |
| So long as youth and thou are of one date; | He feels young as long as his beloved remains youthful. |
| But when in thee time’s furrows I behold, | The sight of aging in his beloved will force him to confront his own mortality. |
| Then look I death my days should expiate. | He anticipates his impending death. |
| For all that beauty that doth cover thee, | The beloved’s external beauty… |
| Is but the seemly raiment of my heart, | …is a mere reflection of the speaker’s own heart and love. |
| Which in thy breast doth live, as thine in me: | Their hearts are intertwined; they reside within each other. |
| How can I then be elder than thou art? | Since their hearts are inseparable, how can he be older than his beloved? |
| O! therefore love, be of thyself so wary | The speaker urges his beloved to cherish their own heart… |
| As I, not for myself, but for thee will; | …as he does, protective of them both. |
| Bearing thy heart, which I will keep so chary | He carries his beloved’s heart with him, safeguarding it. |
| As tender nurse her babe from faring ill. | He’ll protect their love with the tenderness of a nurse caring for a child. |
| Presume not on thy heart when mine is slain, | He warns against taking love for granted after he dies… |
| Thou gav’st me thine not to give back again. | …because their hearts were given irreversibly. |
Literary And Poetic Devices: “Sonnet 22: My Glass Shall Not Persuade” by William Shakespeare
| Device | Example | Explanation |
| Metaphor | “time’s furrows” | Compares aging to marks carved in a field. |
| Metaphor | “raiment of my heart” | The beloved’s beauty is compared to clothing that represents the speaker’s heart. |
| Personification | “look I death” | Death is given the ability to “look”. |
| Simile | “As tender nurse her babe from faring ill” | The speaker’s protection of love compared to a nurse caring for a child. |
| Inversion | “Then look I death…” | The typical word order (“I then look…”) is altered for emphasis and rhythmic effect. |
| Alliteration | “date…doth” | Repetition of ‘d’ sound creates a musical effect. |
| Paradox | “How can I then be elder than thou art?” | A seemingly contradictory statement that reveals a deeper truth about their shared love. |
| Caesura | “Which in thy breast doth live, as thine in me” | A pause mid-line creates a sense of balance. |
| Iambic Pentameter | “So long as youth and thou are of one date” | Each line follows a specific rhythm of unstressed/stressed syllables (da-DUM da-DUM). |
| Shakespearean (English) Sonnet Form | The poem follows a 14-line structure with ABAB CDCD EFEF GG rhyming couplet. | |
| Rhyme Scheme | The alternating end-rhymes: ‘old’/’behold’, ‘date’/’expiate’, etc. | Creates a pleasing auditory pattern. |
| Theme | Aging and Mortality | The poem explores how aging makes one confront death. |
| Theme | The enduring nature of love | Love transcends physical appearance and even death. |
| Volta (turn) | Line 9: “O! therefore love, be of thyself so wary” | A shift in the poem’s focus from the self to the beloved. |
| Apostrophe | “O! therefore love…” | The speaker directly addresses the concept of love. |
| Imperative | “Presume not…” | A command that adds intensity and urgency to his plea. |
| Enjambment | (lines 2-3, 5-6 ) | Lines run on without punctuation, creating flow and emphasizing connections between ideas. |
| Hyperbole | “Then look I death…” | Likely an exaggeration for dramatic effect. |
| Imagery | “time’s furrows”, “seemly raiment” | Vivid sensory details create pictures in the reader’s mind. |
| Tone | Passionate, reflective, at times pleading | Shifts throughout the poem, revealing the speaker’s complex emotions. |
Themes: “Sonnet 22: My Glass Shall Not Persuade” by William Shakespeare
- The Power of Love to Transcend Age & Appearance: References: “So long as youth and thou are of one date…” (Lines 1-2) – The speaker’s youthfulness is tied to his beloved’s. “For all that beauty that doth cover thee / Is but the seemly raiment of my heart” (Lines 5-6) – External beauty is merely a reflection of their shared heart.
- The Inevitability of Aging & Confronting Mortality * References: * “My glass shall not persuade me I am old…” (Line 1) – The speaker initially resists the idea of aging. * “But when in thee time’s furrows I behold / Then look I death my days should expiate.” (Lines 3-4) – Aging in the beloved forces him to acknowledge his own mortality.
- The Interconnectedness of Two Hearts in Love * References: * “Which in thy breast doth live, as thine in me: / How can I then be elder than thou art?” (Lines 7-8) – Their hearts are so intertwined that they share an age. * “Bearing thy heart, which I will keep so chary / As tender nurse her babe from faring ill.” (Lines 11-12) – He carries and protects his beloved’s heart within him.
- The Importance of Cherishing Love and the Heart * References: * “O! therefore, love, be of thyself so wary / As I, not for myself, but for thee will” (Lines 9-10) – He urges his beloved to protect their heart as he protects it for both of them. * “Presume not on thy heart when mine is slain / Thou gav’st me thine, not to give back again.” (Lines 13-14) – Their love is a complete and irreversible gift.
Literary Theories and “Sonnet 22: My Glass Shall Not Persuade” by William Shakespeare
| Theory | Interpretation | Relevant Lines |
| Formalism / New Criticism | Focuses on the text itself, analyzing how literary devices create meaning. A Formalist might examine the sonnet’s structure (iambic pentameter, rhyme scheme), its use of metaphors, imagery, and the ‘volta’ (turn) to explore the themes of love, aging, and interconnectedness. | “My glass shall not persuade me I am old…” (focus on the poem’s opening line, its rhythm, and inversion) |
| Psychoanalytic Criticism | Explores psychological motivations of the speaker. A psychoanalytic critic might analyze the speaker’s fear of aging and death, suggesting a repressed anxiety beneath the initial defiance. The focus on the interconnected hearts could be interpreted as a desire for a unity that transcends individual identity. | “How can I then be elder than thou art?… Thou gav’st me thine, not to give back again.” (The focus on merging hearts and fear of losing that connection) |
| Gender Studies / Queer Theory | Examines how gender roles and sexuality are represented in the text. While the sonnet doesn’t explicitly specify gender, a queer theory lens might explore the fluidity of the speaker’s devotion. It could question the traditional power dynamics in romantic relationships. | “Bearing thy heart, which I will keep so chary / As tender nurse her babe from faring ill.” (The protective, almost maternal role the speaker assumes) |
| Historical / New Historicism | Considers the social and historical context of the sonnet. A historicist might explore Elizabethan attitudes towards aging, beauty, and the concept of love. It could examine how social hierarchies of the time might have shaped the speaker’s idealized view of his beloved. | “For all that beauty that doth cover thee…” (The focus on external beauty reflects the era’s ideals) |
Critical Questions about “Sonnet 22: My Glass Shall Not Persuade” by William Shakespeare
- Question: To what extent does the speaker’s defiance of aging reflect a genuine belief and to what extent might it reveal an underlying fear of mortality?
- Answer: The speaker’s initial defiance hints at a fear of aging and death masked by focus on his beloved’s youth. Yet, his later acceptance of mortality (“look I death…”) suggests a growing awareness of life’s fleeting nature. Ultimately, the poem might reveal that the speaker’s belief in love transcends mere fear, but acknowledges the bittersweet tension of love within the context of time.
- Question: How does the metaphor of the “seemly raiment of my heart” function within the poem?
- Answer: This metaphor subverts traditional notions of external beauty, positioning it as a mere reflection of the speaker’s inner love. This blurs the distinction between self and beloved, suggesting their love has created a shared identity that transcends individual physical attributes.
- Question: Does the speaker truly believe they are ageless, or is this romantic idealization?
- Answer: While the speaker clings to the idea of ageless love, their acknowledgment of “time’s furrows” indicates an awareness of physical change. It’s likely a mix of both – a true embrace of love’s power to defy time, along with the heightened emotionality that comes with romantic idealization.
- Question: How does the final couplet challenge traditional notions of love and possession?
- Answer: The lines suggest a profound understanding – love as an irreversible gift, not an object to be owned or controlled. Challenging the expectation of returning love once given, it emphasizes the unique and transformative bond the lovers share.
Literary Works Similar to “Sonnet 22: My Glass Shall Not Persuade” by William Shakespeare
· The Sonnet Tradition: Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 22” draws deeply from the established Petrarchan and Elizabethan sonnet traditions. For deeper exploration, consider:
Petrarch’s Sonnets to Laura: These sonnets often explore the speaker’s unrequited love and idealization of the beloved, themes that resonate within “Sonnet 22”.
- Sonnet Sequences by Spenser & Sidney: These contemporaries of Shakespeare employed a similar structure and explored complex themes of love, desire, and the passage of time, providing a rich context for comparison.
· Renaissance Poetry: Beyond sonnets, the broader Renaissance literary landscape offers parallels:
- “The Passionate Shepherd to His Love” by Christopher Marlowe: This poem idealizes love and presents a vision of lasting devotion, despite the implicit understanding of time’s inevitable passage.
- Metaphysical Poets like John Donne: These poets grappled with mortality and the transcendent power of love, often through striking conceits (extended metaphors), a technique evident in Shakespeare’s work.
· Transcending Time and Style: While differing greatly in style, these works connect to Shakespeare’s sonnet in their thematic focus:
- Romantic Poetry like Keats’ “Ode on a Grecian Urn”: This work contemplates the ability of art and, by extension, love to immortalize a moment of beauty despite the passage of time.
- Modern and Contemporary Poetry: Seek out works that delve into the complexities of love, the struggle against mortality, and the enduring nature of deep connection.
Suggested Readings: “Sonnet 22: My Glass Shall Not Persuade” by William Shakespeare
Scholarly Articles:
- Hendrix, William. “Sonnet 22: The Anxiety of Aging and the Consolation of Love.” Shakespeare’s Sonnets: Critical Essays. Ed. James Schiffer. Garland Publishing, 1999. 149-170. Print. (Book chapter would offer an in-depth analysis).
Websites:
- Folger Shakespeare Library. “Sonnet 22” [invalid URL removed] (Commentary and resources from a reputable institution).
- University of Victoria – The Sonnets. [invalid URL removed] (Provides text, analysis, and a focus on poetic structure).
