sonnet xx

While studying at the University of the Philippines, I am taking a Shakespeare class. I had to write a short piece on my favourite Sonnet, and this is what I have.

Sonnet 20 A woman's face with nature's own hand

A woman's face with Nature's own hand painted
Hast thou, the master-mistress of my passion;
A woman's gentle heart, but not acquainted
With shifting change, as is false women's fashion;
An eye more bright than theirs, less false in rolling,
Gilding the object whereupon it gazeth;
A man in hue, all 'hues' in his controlling,
Much steals men's eyes and women's souls amazeth.
And for a woman wert thou first created;
Till Nature, as she wrought thee, fell a-doting,
And by addition me of thee defeated,
By adding one thing to my purpose nothing.
But since she prick'd thee out for women's pleasure,
Mine be thy love and thy love's use their treasure.


To pick a favourite Shakespeare sonnet appears to be an almost impossible task. If I was to pick one at this moment in time, I would have to pick sonnet 20. There are many reasons for this, one of which is that the sonnet is an amazing representation of the fluidity of sexuality and love that was common practice within the renaissance. It is beautifully descriptive of a love that is without labels, and is at the same time exceptionally bittersweet, as it is a love that can’t be embraced to loves’ full capacity.

He speaks about how the holder of his hearts’ passion is male, but feminine in all features. His love is a creation of nature that nature herself loved greatly and turned into a man for her own desire. He then speaks about how the relationship cannot come to full fruition, and that the man will be there for women to love physically but Shakespeare will have the young man’s heart. The love he (Shakespeare) holds for this young man is arguably not of a sexual variety, rather, it is about a heartfelt, deep love that exceeds the physical which is a rare commodity in this day and age. It’s also a rarity of the age we are living in now to live without labels. This century that we now live in, particularly within western societies, is obsessed with labeling people. To have a pure love undefined makes this particular sonnet that much more appealing. Their love is a deep connection that transcends all societal expectations and creates its’ own reality. Furthermore, the controversy that this kind of love would cause back in the renaissance and today is something I love. It’s breaking through the conventional barriers that society puts in place to instill what love is believed to be.

The sonnet itself uses beautiful imagery to explore the love Shakespeare holds for this man. I am fond of the way that it flows gently, which suggests the fluidity of the love described, and nature alike. For me, nature is a wonderful choice of describing the creation of this man, and arguably the nature of their relationship. It suggests that love is natural, no matter how it is presented.




Photograph - dodonpa.deviantart.com