Sonnet 129

Sonnet 129

Shakespeare

Sonnet 129

Th' expense of spirit in a waste of shame Is lust in action; and till action, lust Is perjured, murd'rous, bloody, full of blame, Savage, extreme, rude, cruel, not to trust, Enjoyed no sooner but despisèd straight, Past reason hunted; and, no sooner had Past reason hated as a swallowed bait On purpose laid to make the taker mad; Mad in pursuit and in possession so, Had, having, and in quest to have, extreme; A bliss in proof and proved, a very woe; Before, a joy proposed; behind, a dream. All this the world well knows; yet none knows well To shun the heaven that leads men to this hell.

Glossary

Expense

Th' expense of spirit in a waste of shame Is lust in action; and till action, lust Is perjured, murd'rous, bloody, full of blame, Savage, extreme, rude, cruel, not to trust, Enjoyed no sooner but despisèd straight, Past reason hunted; and, no sooner had Past reason hated as a swallowed bait On purpose laid to make the taker mad; Mad in pursuit and in possession so, Had, having, and in quest to have, extreme; A bliss in proof and proved, a very woe; Before, a joy proposed; behind, a dream. All this the world well knows; yet none knows well To shun the heaven that leads men to this hell.

To expend something is to use it up

Perjured

In the sonnet, it means that lust is deceitful and misleading

Despidèd

Hated

Past Reason

Beyond all reason or good sense

Laid

Set, as “to set a trap”

Glossary

Pursuit

The act of chasing something down

Th' expense of spirit in a waste of shame Is lust in action; and till action, lust Is perjured, murd'rous, bloody, full of blame, Savage, extreme, rude, cruel, not to trust, Enjoyed no sooner but despisèd straight, Past reason hunted; and, no sooner had Past reason hated as a swallowed bait On purpose laid to make the taker mad; Mad in pursuit and in possession so, Had, having, and in quest to have, extreme; A bliss in proof and proved, a very woe; Before, a joy proposed; behind, a dream. All this the world well knows; yet none knows well To shun the heaven that leads men to this hell.

Quest

A long journey or search

Bliss

Extreme happiness

Woe

Intense sadness

Shun

To reject or avoid

Translation

To Modern English

The spending of spirits in a wasteful and shameful act Is the activity of lust, and, until the real action, lust Is unfaithful, murderous, bloody, and deserving of blame Savage, violent, rude, cruel, untrustworthy; It is no sooner enjoyed but it is hated straight after; It is sought unreasonably, and no sooner had But is hated unreasonably, as swallowed bait That was laid intentionally to make whoever takes it mad: Mad when they pursue it, and mad when they have it, Violent in having, having had, and wanting to have more; Blissful to taste but miserable to have tasted; Before consummation, it is a joy promised; after a mere dream. All the world knows this but no one knows it well enough To resist the heaven of lust, which leads men to this hell

Formal

structure

Th’ expense | of spi- | rit in | a waste | of shame.

rhyme scheme of ABAB CDCD EFEF GG

14 lines

iambic pentameter

Meaning

Th' expense of spirit in a waste of shame Is lust in action; and till action, lust Is perjured, murd'rous, bloody, full of blame, Savage, extreme, rude, cruel, not to trust, Enjoyed no sooner but despisèd straight, Past reason hunted; and, no sooner had Past reason hated as a swallowed bait On purpose laid to make the taker mad; Mad in pursuit and in possession so, Had, having, and in quest to have, extreme; A bliss in proof and proved, a very woe; Before, a joy proposed; behind, a dream. All this the world well knows; yet none knows well To shun the heaven that leads men to this hell.

Stylistic devices

Th' expense of spirit in a waste of shame Is lust in action; and till action, lust Is perjured, murd'rous, bloody, full of blame, Savage, extreme, rude, cruel, not to trust, Enjoyed no sooner but despisèd straight, Past reason hunted; and, no sooner had Past reason hated as a swallowed bait On purpose laid to make the taker mad; Mad in pursuit and in possession so, Had, having, and in quest to have, extreme; A bliss in proof and proved, a very woe; Before, a joy proposed; behind, a dream. All this the world well knows; yet none knows well To shun the heaven that leads men to this hell.

Antithesis

Metaphor

Anaphora

Enumeration

Hyperbole

Conclusion

Sonnet 129-Shakespeare

Sources

https://www.litcharts.com/poetry/william-shakespeare/sonnet-129-th-expense-of-spirit-in-a-waste-of-shame

https://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/sonnets/section8/

https://www.shakespeareswords.com/Public/Glossary.aspx

https://poemanalysis.com/william-shakespeare/sonnet-129/

https://owlcation.com/humanities/William-Shakespeares-Sonnet-129-Love-Turns-To-Lust