Shakespeare Electronic Conference, Vol. 2, No. 6. Monday, 7 Jan 1991. Date: Mon, 7 Jan 91 11:02:42 EST From: Mark Lee <IRMSS908@SIVM> Subject: The Dark Side of the Sonnets Comment: SHK 2.0004 The Dark Side of the Sonnets From: Mark Lee Office Applications Group, OIRM Arts & Industries Building Room 2310 In response to Ken Moyle: The question of a male addressee of some of the sonnets is not new, nor is it the exercise of bored literature scholars. The question first came to print in 1609 with the publication of the sonnets by Thomas Thorp, whose edition carried the following dedication: TO. THE. ONLIE. BEGETTER. OF. THESE. INSVING. SONNETS. Mr.W.H. ALL. HAPPINESSE. AND. THAT. ETERNITIE. PROMISED. BY. OVR. EVER-LIVING. POET. WISHETH. THE. WELL-WISHING. ADVENTVER. IN. SETTING. FORTH. T.T. NOTE: Line 1: ONLIE -> (read) only; Line 2: INSVING -> insuing; Line 3: HAPPINESSE -> happiness; Line 4: ETERNITIE -> eternity; Line 7: OVR -> our; Line 10: ADVENTVER -> adventurer. Additionally, there are a number of indications throughout the sonnets themselves which indicate that the intended subject to whom the the work was being addressed was not female. Sonnet 1, in consideration of the usage of the term 'churl' could arguably have been addressed to a man. Sonnet 2, employs the term 'youth' which could be either male or female, but Sakespeare does use the term to indicate a young male in Much Ado About Nothing. Sonnet 3, is to the point: Look in thy glass and tell the face thou viewest Now is the time that face should form another; Whose fresh repair if now thou not renewest, Thou dost beguile the world, unbless some mother. For where is she so fair whose unear'd womb Distains the tillage of thy husbandry? . . . Sonnet 9 is again blunt and to the point: Is it for fear to wet a widow's eye That thou consums't thyself in single life? . . . Sonnet 20, however, complete with anatomical pun, goes straight to the heart of the matter: A woman's face, with Nature's own hand painted, Hast thou, the master mistress of my passion; A woman's gentle heart, but not aquainted With shifting change, as is false women's fashion; An eye more bright than theirs, less false in rolling, Gilding the object whereupon it gazeth; A man in hue all hues in his controlling, Which steals men's eyes and women's souls amazeth. And for a woman wert thou first created; Till Nature, as she wrought thee, fell a-doting, And by addition me of thee defeated, By adding one thing to my purpose nothing. But since she prick'd thee out for women's pleasure, Mine be thy love, and thy love's use their treasure. I daresay that I have only highlighted the more obvious. I suggest that you might want to re-read the sonnents with a good dictionary at hand. +-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-+ | Mark Lee | Phone: (202) 357-4222 | | Smithsonian Institution | E-Mail: IRMSS908 @ SIVM.BITNET | +-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-+