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William ShakespeareSonnet 138: When my love swears that she is made of truth
Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1599A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Themes
Truth and Lies
“Sonnet 138” explores Truth and Lies in the romantic relationship between a woman and an older man. Her lies are white lies, or flattery, about his age. In the first quatrain, she “swears” (Line 1) that she thinks he is younger than he is. The act of swearing fidelity is itself part of her flattery. In the third quatrain, the speaker wonders why she continues to lie—or be “unjust” and morally questionable (Line 9). His answer is that her lying about his age is a “seeming trust” (Line 11), or a false claim that appears to be true, and is also “love’s best habit” (Line 11), meaning flattery is the best strategy for keeping their love alive. He says, “I know she lies” (Line 2). His awareness of her lies, or flattery, makes him a willing participant. Furthermore, he also lies in telling her that he believes her. This is referenced in the final couplet: “I lie with her and she with me” (Line 13). They are both aware that flattery is part of her seduction of him. He consents to, enjoys, and participates in white lies about his age.
Her flattery offers truths that the speaker and beloved consent to but do not align with external measures of truth. She swears to being “made of truth” (Line 1). Yet, her flattery can be undermined by “simple truth” (Line 8), or the facts about his age. Age can be confirmed with external documentation, such as legal and/or religious records. At the same time, they both consent to her lies about his age, establishing something that is true only in the internal space of their relationship. Their private truth, which is actually flattery, does contain a truth that can be verified: She does want to be with him.
The lies about the speaker’s age are part of the performance of foreplay. The manner in which theatergoers willingly consent to being lied to by the actors in a play can be compared to consenting to foreplay that includes flattery. White lies during foreplay are part of what leads to lying in bed together: “I lie with her and she with me” (Line 13) refers to both flattery and sexual activities. In this way, the private space of the bedroom (or wherever they are lying together) can be linked to establishing truths that only exist in the private space of their relationship. The beloved lying in bed with the speaker demonstrates the truth that she desires him. Their lies not only lead to sex but also lead to them feeling better about their “faults” (Line 14). This makes their encounter emotional as well as physical.
Age and Experience
The lies about the speaker’s age offer information about how aging is viewed in Shakespeare’s sonnets. Prior to “Sonnet 138,” the speaker can be contrasted with the Fair Youth whom he loves. “Sonnet 138,” part of the Dark Lady group of Shakespeare’s sonnets, continues the idea that the speaker is older than his beloved. In the sonnets about the Fair Youth, and in “Sonnet 138,” youth and innocence are idealized. In other words, it is flattering to be considered “young” (Line 5) and inexperienced. The speaker admits that he cannot bring himself to say that he is old: “[W]herefore say not I that I am old?” (Line 10), and though he questions his beloved’s deception in Line 9, he concludes that he wants to continue being told that he seems young.
The positive attributes of youth and innocence are intertwined. The speaker’s beloved flatters him not only by calling him a “youth” (Line 3) but also by thinking him “untutored [...] Unlearnèd” (Lines 3-4). Innocence, or lack of experience and education, is considered a virtue. This can be seen in literary and film figures like the ingénue—someone who is talented without formal training. However, the poem’s wordplay reveals how the speaker is not innocent or simple. The beloved claims to think he is ignorant of the “world’s false subtleties” (Line 4). Innocence is straightforward thinking, not admitting nuance or subtly. However, they both know that this is flattery.
The speaker’s awareness of and consent to his lady’s deceit, his use of double negatives, and his punning on the word “lie” show how he is educated and experienced with the subtleties of language. His double negatives can be seen in phrases like “wherefore says she not she is unjust” (Line 9). The pun, or double meaning, of the word “lie” becomes clear in the phrase “I lie with her and she with me” (Line 13). The speaker, who is the poet, ironically demonstrates his understanding of language while describing how his beloved thinks he is “[u]nlearnèd” (Line 4).
The Nature of Love
Like many other sonnet sequences, Shakespeare’s sequence is about love. “Sonnet 138” argues that flattery is an important—if not, the most important—part of foreplay and love. The speaker says, “Oh, love’s best habit is in seeming trust” (Line 11). In other words, the repeated act of flattery—her presenting it and him accepting it, and vice versa—is the best part of love. This line can be read as referring to the specific woman the speaker loves, whom he refers to in the first line of the poem as “my love.” The words “love” and “beloved” are often used interchangeably when poets write about a romantic partner. These nouns can take the place of the partner’s name to keep their identity hidden. Amorous language that hides a lover’s name can be compared to amorous language that hides a lover’s age—he hides her name, and she hides his age.
The following line points to Line 11 pertaining to the general nature of love, as well as to the speaker’s specific relationship. He says, “And age in love loves not to have years told” (Line 12). Here, “in love” indicates the state of being in love rather than referring to a specific beloved person. The general nature of being in love includes keeping age a secret, among presumably many other flatteries, in order to keep love burning. Age itself—personified in Line 12 as being capable of loving something—is what desires secrecy in intimate relationships, suggesting that such a desire is beyond the speaker’s control.
Related Titles
By William Shakespeare
