Shakespeare Sonnet 35
‘No more be griev’d at that which thou hast done’
In Sonnet 35, the speaker addresses the writer's block or failure of his muse to inspire him, but he realizes that along with the positive, always comes the negative.
First Quatrain: “No more be griev’d at that which thou hast done”
In the first stanza of sonnet 35, the speaker directly addresses his lazy muse telling her not to worry about failing to inspire him. Then he reasons that “Roses have thorns, and silver fountains mud.” Along with the beauty of the rose come the sharp, ugly thorns that protect it. Also, lovely flowing fountains contain their not so lovely features.
He avers that the beauty of the “moon and sun” is often blotted out by “[c]louds and eclipses,” and even the most adored flower may provide a home to a worm. Therefore, he reasons that although his muse has let him down on occasion, it goes with the territory that his talent should have some flaws as well as genius.
Second Quatrain: “All men make faults, and even I in this”
The speaker claims, “All men make faults.” He is admitting that even he is at fault for chastising his muse. He admits to “[a]uthorising thy trespass with compare.” By comparing the muse’s failure with its success, he has legitimized the failure more than was needed. And therefore, he has continued to blame himself ultimately more than he should have.
In blaming himself, he has actually “excus[ed] the “sins” of his muse, yet paradoxically exaggerated their worth more than they deserve. He knows that when he chastises his muse, he is in reality chastising himself, and he admits that he is prone to overstating his case.
Third Quatrain: “For to thy sensual fault I bring in sense”
In the third quatrain, the speaker continues to reason himself out of his difficulty. He avers that his muse has committed a “sensual fault,” and the speaker will “bring in sense” or reason to correct it. The muse has given in to laziness perhaps, but even overzealousness could qualify as a “sensual fault” as well.
Whatever the fault is, it has prevented the speaker’s talent from creating at the top of his ability, which he feels is a stain on his poetry and ultimately his reputation. The adversity that the muse’s flaw has brought against the speaker has caused him to feel unconstructive thoughts about himself.
He admits that “[s]uch civil war is in my love and hate”: his moods are filled with such tremendous highs and lows. First he loves and then he hates, and the muse shrinks from such violent emotions, favoring calm recollection. As Wordsworth realized two centuries later, “All good poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings: it takes its origin from emotion recollected in tranquillity.”
The Couplet: “That I an accessary needs must be”
The couplet sums up the emotional tug-of-war the speaker is having with his muse. His internal “civil war” converts his muse into a “sweet thief” that robs him of his own better judgment.
Other articles on Shakespeare: Who is Shakespeare?
Sonnet Commentaries: Sonnet 1, Sonnet 2, Sonnet 3, Sonnet 4, Sonnet 5, Sonnet 6, Sonnet 7, Sonnet 8, Sonnet 9, Sonnet 10, Sonnet 11, Sonnet 12, Sonnet 13, Sonnet 14, Sonnet 15, Sonnet 16, Sonnet 17, Sonnet 18, Sonnet 19, Sonnet 20, Sonnet 21, Sonnet 22, Sonnet 23, Sonnet 24, Sonnet 25, Sonnet 26, Sonnet 27, Sonnet 28, Sonnet 29, Sonnet 30, Sonnet 31, Sonnet 32, Sonnet 33, Sonnet 34, Sonnet 73, Sonnet 116, Sonnet 126, Sonnet 130, Sonnet 138
