Sonnet 57 by William Shakespeare Poem Analysis

Structured in the form of an opening rhetorical question, the poet marks his status as a loving ‘slave.’ However, he immediately betrays his subservient persona by his own choice of diction when he writes “I have no precious time at all to spend/ Nor services to do till you require” (line 3-4). Within these lines, Shakespeare attempts to convey the idea that how he spends his time and what he does is determined by the young man, but if this is simply the case, why include the word “precious”? Shakespeare was a prolific playwright whose work was dependent on the quality and quantity of his output, thus demanded much of his time. Hence, the notion that “I have no precious time at all to spend” is simply not true. Furthermore, the presence of the adjective “precious” within the line shifts the sonnet towards a sarcastic tone. The surface level interpretation of these lines would make the reader believe that Shakespeare uses sarcasm as a thinly veiled attempt to disguise his underlying feelings of anger and resentment. 

Shakespeare unmask the rationale behind love with a type of juxtaposition of impatient behavior and bitterness when he writes “Nor dare I chide the world without-end-hour/Whilst, I, my sovereign, watch the clock for you” (line 5-6). Within these lines, the poet vows that he will not complain as he waits for the young man to need him. However, the idiom “watch the clock” signals his impatient behavior and inability to wait to be desired by the young man. Additionally, the emphasis on “my sovereign” implies that the young man is held at a higher degree which pushes the notion that due to the unequal power dynamic, the poet resents his powerless, ‘expected to wait’ position. Shakespeare proceeds to promise the young man that he won’t be angry nor bitter with his absence within the lines “Nor think the bitterness of absence sour/When you have bid your servant once adieu” (line 7-8). But if his vows and patience held truth, shouldn’t this be reflected in a positive tone with positive words? Instead, he fills the lines with negative diction like “bitterness”, “sour”, “servant” and “adieu.” As a result, one can contend that the poet-speaker manifest his own bitter feelings onto the lines in a sarcastic tone. 

Shakespeare claims that he refuses to complain about his servitude, yet the repetition of the negative “nor” at the beginning of lines four, five, seven, and nine forms a refrain and appears to contradict itself in the following lines, forcing the reader to question whether the entire sonnet should be seen as a complaint. “Nor dare I question with my jealous thought/ Where you may be, or your affairs suppose”, Shakespeare vows. But due to the contradictory nature of the phrase, we are forced to question the veracity of his subservient behavior. The speech act of denying his right to entertain “jealous thought” conforms the fact that he has them. No “slave” possesses the free will to remind his master of the hierarchy that binds them, let alone color that speech with the ironic resentment that underlines the sonnet. Sneakily, Shakespeare confines his vows and the sonnet itself to a straightforward rehearsal of self-indulgence.

In the final couplet, Shakespeare insinuates that love is a state of mental foolishness that inherently clouds our ability to think rationally. The submissive speaker concludes that despite what the young man does, he is determined to think “no ill” (line 14). But because of the clever strategy of the sonnet is to show Shakespeare meaning the opposite of what he says, we interpret the final words that he is in fact thinking nothing but ill. Though, whatever conclusion we may draw the truth remains that the speaker’s attitude towards the young man continues to sway, but forgiveness, however grudging is always possible because of the speaker’s obsession.