Sonnet 116 Review

marriage†¦ impediments (1-2): T. G. Tucker explains that the first two lines are a â€Å"manifest allusion to the words of the Marriage Service: ‘If any of you know cause or just impediment why these two persons should not be joined together in holy matrimony'; cf. Much Ado 4. 1. 12. ‘If either of you know any inward impediment why you should not be conjoined. ‘ Where minds are true – in possessing love in the real sense dwelt upon in the following lines – there can be no ‘impediments' through change of circumstances, outward appearance, or temporary lapses in conduct. † (Tucker, 192). ends with the remover to remove (4): i. e. , deviates (â€Å"bends†) to alter its course (â€Å"remove†) with the departure of the lover. ever-fixed mark (5): i. e. , a lighthouse (mark = sea-mark). Compare Othello (5. 2. 305-7): Be not afraid, though you do see me weapon'd; Here is my journey's end, here is my butt, And very sea-mark of m y utmost sail. the star to every wandering bark (7): i. e. , the star that guides every lost ship (guiding star = Polaris). Shakespeare again mentions Polaris (also known as â€Å"the north star†) in Much Ado About Nothing (2. 1. 222) and Julius Caesar (3. 1. 65).Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken (8): The subject here is still the north star. The star's true value can never truly be calculated, although its height can be measured. Love's not Time's fool (9): i. e. , love is not at the mercy of Time. Within his bending sickle's compass come (10): i. e. , physical beauty falls within the range (â€Å"compass†) of Time's curved blade. Note the comparison of Time to the Grim Reaper, the scythe-wielding personification of death. edge of doom (12): i. e. , Doomsday. Compare 1 Henry IV (4. 1. 141): Come, let us take a muster speedily: Doomsday is near; die all, die merrily.