Overall Summary of Sonnet 138

Shakespeare's Sonnet 138 presents a complex portrait of love and deception, exploring the dynamics between an aging speaker and his younger lover. The poem delves into themes of truth, lies, and mutual self-deception in relationships.

• Speaker acknowledges his lover's dishonesty but chooses to believe her
• Both parties engage in a form of willful ignorance about each other's faults
• The sonnet uses wordplay and rhetorical devices to illustrate the relationship's complexities
• Ultimately suggests that love thrives on a certain level of deception and flattery

Page 1: Introduction to Sonnet 138 and Analysis Tasks

This page introduces Shakespeare's Sonnet 138 and provides a set of analysis tasks for students.

The sonnet is presented in full, with footnotes explaining some of the more challenging vocabulary. The poem explores the theme of mutual deception in a romantic relationship, where both the speaker and his lover engage in a form of willful ignorance about each other's faults.

Three main tasks are outlined for students:

1. Analyze what the sonnet reveals about the speaker, his lover, and their relationship.
2. Examine the rhetorical devices used in the poem, particularly puns and repetitions.
3. Choose between two evaluation tasks: comparing the sonnet's view of love with other Shakespearean works, or writing a creative dialogue based on the poem's themes.

Vocabulary:

• Untutored: Inexperienced or naïve
• Vainly: Can mean both "in vain" and "driven by vanity"
• Subtleties: Subtle distinctions or arguments

Highlight: The sonnet's central conceit revolves around the dual meaning of "lie" - both to tell an untruth and to be in a horizontal position (as in bed).

Quote: "Therefore I lie with her, and she with me, / And in our faults by lies we flattered be."