Shakespeare Sonnet 86

"Was it the proud full sail of his great verse"

Oct 22, 2008

The speaker of Shakespeare's sonnets demonstrates the skills of a verbal gymnast, acrobat, or tightrope walker, and he always feels confident enough to sway and swagger.

Beginning with this article, the format for Shakespeare sonnet articles will include a paraphrase, followed by the commentary for each quatrain and couplet.

PARAPHRASE

Did my great poems, which were destined to uplift your reputation, come from the decaying ideas that fertilized the barren soil of my mind until they were able to grow? Or was my soul given its talent to handle spirituality that caused me to die to all things physical? It was neither: not the dead ideas rotting in my brain, nor the stealth ones who roam by night. My poems receive no such help from such characters. No decaying idea nor night floating phantom brought from me the creations that I create. My intelligence is its own victory over the dumb. None of these ever frightened me or caused me to be ill. But when I first saw face of my Muse, my weakness began to strengthen; what I did not have was given by the grace of love and beauty.

COMMENTARY

First Quatrain: “Was it the proud full sail of his great verse”

In the first quatrain, the speaker addresses his Muse, metaphorically comparing his “great verse” to a ship in “proud full sail.” He asks the question, did my poems come from the dead ideas in my brain? He implies that he might have merely taken thoughts into his mental processes and then his brain seemed to incubate them and they began to grow. He is merely exploring the idea, so he as he continues, he poses a second question.

Second Quatrain: “Was it his spirit, by spirits taught to write”

The second quatrain poses the second question and offers the beginning of the answer. He asks, was I merely afforded superior writing ability by some writing spirit? He answers in the negative. He was not merely a target of some disembodied soul who uses him for his own purposes. He then finishes his explanation in the next quatrain.

Third Quatrain: “He, nor that affable familiar ghost”

The speaker affirms that he is not merely a passive host for some apparition who “gulls him with intelligence. He has not been contaminated even though writer’s block occasionally has heralded his mighty effort to overcome the “victors of my silence.” He has not been a pawn in the hands of others but has always been in charge of his own destiny.

Couplet: “But when your countenance fill’d up his line”

The speaker then declares that his Muse that represents truth, love, and beauty has always provided the “countenance” that has inspired him with the ability and grace to overcome any human lack he might have experienced.

The copyright of the article Shakespeare Sonnet 86 in British Poetry is owned by Linda Sue Grimes. Permission to republish Shakespeare Sonnet 86 in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.