A Comprehensive Analysis of William Shakespeare's Sonnet 116

This essay offers a detailed analysis of William Shakespeare's Sonnet 116, also known as "Let me not to the marriage of true minds admit impediments." It begins by placing the sonnet within its historical context, highlighting key events and influences of the Elizabethan era, such as the slave trade and the Enlightenment. The essay then delves into the central theme of love as presented in the sonnet, exploring the different facets of love discussed by Shakespeare and its significance in guiding human life. The author emphasizes the importance of love as a driving force. The essay concludes by recognizing Shakespeare's substantial contributions to the English language and literature, and how his works reflect societal norms of his time. References to relevant scholarly sources are also included.

Running head: SONNET 116 – AN ANALYSIS
SONNET 116 – AN ANALYSIS
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Author Note

1SONNET 116 – AN ANALYSIS
The following paper deals with the analysis of one of the most celebrated sonnets of
William Shakespeare, Let me not to the marriage of true minds admit impediments. The sonnet
is more famously known as Sonnet 116 (Shakespeare, 2018). The following paper highlights the
historical events that defined the literary era and proceeds to discuss the major theme of the
sonnet. The paper finally concludes with the contribution of Shakespeare to the English
literature.
The compositions of the Elizabethan era are known to be implementing the creativity on
the part of the poet. The compositions tend to implement the various luxurious factors that were
evident in the then society at large. The literature of the era was influenced by the various regular
factors that were evident in the given era. The literature of the era reveals the practices that were
undertaken by the residents of the society. The major events that mark the era refer to the
violence in the slave trade and the human trafficking. The era is further marked with the
development of the enlightenment thoughts. The concept of the enlightenment thinking was
introduced with the various revolutions like the Haitian, French and the American revolutions
(Hedley, 2018). These events highlight the issues that were prevalent within the given era and
are often found to be reflected in the literature that was composed within the eighteenth century.
The major theme that has been highlighted within the Sonnet 116 by William
Shakespeare attempts a discussion on the concept of “love”. The sonnet highlights the various
types of love that are presented within the concerned era. The sonnet discusses the various forms
of the love that is experienced by the humans. The sonnet discusses the fact the people
experience various different types of love during their life time (Burckhardt, 2015). The
sonneteer is observed to have been discussing the importance of the presence of love within the
life of the person. The sonneteer highlights the fact that the concept of love plays a huge role in

2SONNET 116 – AN ANALYSIS
terms of guiding the person throughout his journey of life. The sonneteer highlights the fact that
the force of love is known to act as the driving force in the lives of the people. Shakespeare states
that the love acts as the guiding force for the journey of life. The poet argues that factor of love is
helpful in the development of the person as a whole.
William Shakespeare is known to have been one of the playwrights who has contributed a
huge lot to the development and the enrichment of English language as well as the literature. The
compositions of the famous playwright tend to reflect the practices that were followed within the
given society (Vendler, 2018). The compositions of the celebrated playwright have helped in the
understanding of the societal norms that were prevalent within the given era.
Thus, from the given discussion it might be stated that the sonnet in discussion, Sonnet
116 entitled Let me not to the marriage of true minds admit impediments helps in the proper
understanding of the then society.

3SONNET 116 – AN ANALYSIS
References
Burckhardt, S. (2015). Shakespearean meanings (Vol. 2356). Princeton University Press.
Hedley, J. (2018). Gay Marriage: Something Old, Something New. In Modern Marriage and the
Lyric Sequence (pp. 211-222). Palgrave Macmillan, Cham.
Shakespeare, W. (2018). Sonnet 116: Let me not to the marriage of true minds admit
impediments.”. Poetry Foundation, USA, 1564-1616.
Vendler, H. (2018). Ways into Shakespeare's Sonnets. Institute of English Studies, School of
Advanced Study, University of London.