Sonnet Analysis

With how sad steps, O Moon, thou climb'st the skies! How silently, and with how wan a face! What, may it be that even in heavenly place That busy archer his sharp arrows tries? Sure, if that long-with-love-acquainted eyes Can judge of love, thou feel'st a lover's case. I read it in thy looks; thy languished grace, To me, that feel the like, thy state descries. Then, even of fellowship, O Moon, tell me, Is constant love deemed there but want of wit? Are beauties there as proud as here they be? Do they above love to be loved, and yet Those lovers scorn whom that love doth possess? Do they call virtue there ungratefulness? ----------------------------------------------- The speaker reflects his somber mood onto the moon by questioning the earthly and heavenly integrities of a fickle woman’s love. This can be illustrated by the tone shift of the sonnet as well as numerous characteristics which contribute to its melancholy tenor. Throughout the sonnet, the moon is personified to have several human characteristics as the speaker not only gives the moon physical features but also human emotions as the speaker carefully observes when he describes, “how wan a face!” The speaker further personifies the moon by illustrating that it is able of physical exertions such as “sad steps,” and “climb’st the skies.” He even metaphorically describes the moon as a “busy archer,” in order to allude towards a cupid figure for the speaker says the moon “Can judge of love.” However, it is obvious that the speaker is simply projecting his own emotions onto the moon itself, for he seems to be looking towards the moon for answers as illustrated by the fact that he seeks confidence and answers from the moon as illustrated by the rhetorical question, “What, may it be that even in heavenly place/ That busy archer his sharp arrow tries?” Hence, the speaker is confiding in the moon by asking a question to an inanimate being about the pangs of “a lover’s case,” for it seems that he is describing his lover as he describes in great detail the “languished grace” which his lover expresses. Yet it also seems that the speaker is in turmoil, for he say that though his lover “feel the like” as her “state descries” he is still unable to have her as illustrated by the significant tone shift that occurs by the marked direction as the speaker trails off, beginning with “Then…” as the poet switches from the quatrain to the sestet. Throughout the sestet, the speaker poses several rhetorical questions, all singled towards the topic of non-reciprocal love, and the many qualities that seem to prevent his lover from accepting his affection as illustrated by the questioning that “Are beauties there as proud as here they be?”