¶ … William Shakespeare has written a number of love sonnets. In general, these tend to be less conventional than the typical romantic poem, where love is praised above all things as the purpose of life and relationships. Instead, Shakespeare tends towards a more realistic sense of loving despite imperfection and despite life's challenges. To some degree, the same is true of Sonnet 116, which begins with the line "Let me not to the marriage of true minds/admit impediments. Love is not love…" When read for its deeper meaning, it becomes clear that Shakespeare is not denying the realities of life together for romantic partners; he admits that there will be difficulty. The central point of the poem, however, is contained in these lines, implying that true love is solid and unchanging, regardless of any changes or challenges that might be found in the environment or conditions surrounding it. In the first lines of the poem, it becomes clear that Shakespeare is reluctant to "admit" any imperfections...

Indeed, when two persons who truly love each other are together, they will not love each other less as a result of any changes in their environment or circumstances.
What is also interesting in the first line of the poem is the word "minds." Generally, in romantic poetry, love and romantic connections would be symbolized by hearts. The heart, even today, is also symbolic of emotion, love, and romantic connections. Shakespeare seems to depart from this well-used symbolism. Instead, he uses the word "minds," which has a number of implications. First, Shakespeare appears to consider true love as being something beyond mere feelings or even beyond love itself. Instead, the love that the poet has in mind is also intellectual. It is a connection…