Sonnet the Structure of Power

Sonnet

The Structure of Power

Though William Shakespeare is better known for his plays, his fame as one of the greatest writers in the English language -- and indeed, in any language -- is due at least in part to his collection of poetry, specifically his sonnets. According to many scholars, the majority of the over one-hundred-and-fifty sonnets that Shakespeare wrote are devoted to the figures in a complex love triangle, known as the Young Man and the Dark Lady. But although a great deal of the sonnets do fit into this academic framework, many of them can also be read as independent poetic commentaries on topics that might touch on love, but that have deeper and more profound interpretations as well. One such sonnet is number ninety-four, which begins "They that have power to hurt." Though this particular sonnet, like so many of the others, is often interpreted as a love poem, there are more far-reaching interpersonal and possibly even political interpretations.

These interpretations are largely dependent on the structure of the poem itself. Although there are differences between the Italian sonnet and the English sonnet (also known as the Petrarchan and Shakespearean sonnets, after the two most famous and prolific creators of each respective type of sonnet), but both are comprised of fourteen lines with a strict rhyme scheme. This rhyme scheme varies slightly in English sonnets, but is very regular throughout each individual sonnet. The lines of an English sonnet are written in iambic pentameter, and the poem itself is divided into three quatrains -- four-line sections -- with (typically) an alternating rhyme scheme that changes with each quatrain (i.e. ABABCDCD...), and a final rhyming couplet rounding out the full fourteen lines. This sonnet follows most of the basic form, but there are several instances where the meter of the line is irregular. A careful examination of this sonnet's adherence to form, and the instances where it departs from this form, reveals a clear relationship between the creation of meaning in the sonnet and the poem's form.

Establishing the meaning of this poem is not a simple and straightforward task; this is one of the more complex and enigmatic of Shakespeare's sonnets, and not only are there several layers of meanings and possible interpretations, but at times even the surface meaning of a line can be hard to determine. This occurs with the first two lines of the sonnet: "They that have power to hurt, and will do none, / That do not do the thing they most do show" (lines 1-2). Both of these lines are merely identifying the subject (or object of the poem), and the first is fairly self-explanatory. The second line, however, especially in the wider context of the poem, present some difficulty. The simplest reading, along with the first line, seems to be interpreting "the thing" as the "power to hurt," or at least actions that would hurt. This would mean that the people (or person) to whom Shakespeare is referring show the ability to hurt -- not only show it, but "most show" it, meaning it is their most prominent feature -- but refrain from hurting.

At first, this seems to be in contradiction to the later imagery in the poem, specifically that regarding flowers. Also, given the romantic interpretations of the poem, it seems unlikely that Shakespeare is describing someone's outer appearance as less than desirable. It could be, however, that Shakespeare is referring to himself as poet in these lines, and his restraint in not writing a more hurtful verse to the flower that has disappointed him. This reading of the sonnet requires a great deal of attention to the technical details of the poem's construction, and such careful consideration reveals several details that suggest its validity. The very first foot of the poem is inverted, signaling from the very outset the poet's subtle break with the sonnet form, almost as though a true sonnet could not be written with the proper amount of deception.

This reading of the poem also allows for a different interpretation of the second line that applies it directly to the poem by way of the poet. That is, the poem "most shows" itself to be a sonnet, but it breaks from the strict form of this type of poem in several instances, so it does not do the thing that it most shows -- it is not a perfect sonnet. This interpretation is in tandem with the reading that applies the line to Shakespeare himself, suggesting that the poet is not being true to himself -- not doing what he most does show -- in not writing a more vicious diatribe against one who has turned from sweet to sour, and perhaps even broken the poet's heart. This interpretation continues to gain merit when at each of the other points in the poem where the meter and/or line length is broken to accommodate the shifting thoughts of the speaker.

Line four is the next instance where this occurs: "Unmoved, cold, and to temptation slow" (line 4). The second foot of this line is missing its unstressed syllable, making it simply a stand-alone stressed syllable. It also, of course, shortens the line by a beat, causing a sort of hesitation in the reading that matches the slow, unmoving-ness that is described in the line. Again, the form of the poem is echoing its meaning, shifting slightly away from the expected norm in a rather dissembling manner. This seems to strengthen the impression that the poet is reserving his true skill, not wishing to be moved to anger or other negative emotions, but rather striking a composed and reserved demeanor which is reflected in the form and language of the poem. Though the speaker is "tempted" to pursue his subject more viciously, he refrains.

The first and third lines of the second quatrain both end with an extra unstressed syllable -- what is known as a "feminine ending" in a line of iambic pentameter -- which again breaks up the rhythm of the poem, with a somewhat opposite effect to that created by the shortening of the line in line four. These two lines read "They rightly do inherit heaven's graces" and "They are the lords and owners of their faces" (line 5, 7). The facts that each of these lines has a feminine ending (i.e. An unstressed eleventh syllable) and that they are in perfect end rhyme with each other makes them stand out from the rest of the poem, but links them quite closely together, reaffirming that these qualities are essential parts of who or whatever the speaker is describing in the sonnet. The surface meaning of these lines, then, is that the most important quality for receiving heaven's graces is elf-control and restraint; though this could certainly be applied to an outside object, it is also very reasonable to read this as applying to the poet and poem, both of which are showing the same sort of control and restraint.

The irregular meter of these lines really emphasizes this interpretation, drawing attention to these lines by dint of their irregularity. The extra syllable at the end of each line forces a slight pause in the reading before resuming with the next line, clearly signaling that something in the construction of the poem at this point is not quite right. The structure of the poem itself becomes an essential aspect of these lines; the fact that they break with the strict iambic pentameter that is the traditional standard for sonnets makes them stand out as a commentary on the poem itself, which definitely affects the meaning by calling attention to the poem's structure and reflecting the meaning of the poem back on itself. This is emphasized even more by the fact the following line has an inverted second foot: "Others, but the stewards..." (line 8). This quatrain as a whole makes it clear that the meaning of the poem applies to the poem itself.