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.

Sonnet 129

Laid

Past Reason

Despidèd

Perjured

Expense

Set, as “to set a trap”

Beyond all reason or good sense

Hated

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

To expend something is to use it up

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

To reject or avoid

Shun

Intense sadness

Extreme happiness

A long journey or search

Woe

Bliss

Quest

The act of chasing something down

Pursuit

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

Translation

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

To Modern English

structure

Formal

rhyme scheme of ABAB CDCD EFEF GG

iambic pentameter

14 lines

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

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.

Meaning

Antithesis

Metaphor

Anaphora

Enumeration

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.

Hyperbole

Stylistic devices

Sonnet 129-Shakespeare

Conclusion

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

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

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

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

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

Sources