Sonnet 26
Encyclopedia
Shakespeare's
Sonnet 26 is generally regarded as the end-point or culmination of the group of five preceding sonnets. It encapsulates several themes not only of Sonnets 20-25, but also of the first twenty-five poems together: the function of writing poems, the effect of class differences, and love.
was the first to note the similarity of content between the first quatrain
and the dedication to Southampton
in The Rape of Lucrece
. Some scholars have speculated that the poem was written to accompany some other of Shakespeare's writings, perhaps the first group of sonnets. The hypothesis remains intriguing but unproven. Edward Massey and Sidney Lee
, among others, accept the connection between sonnet and dedication; among the skeptics are Thomas Tyler, Nicolaus Delius
, and Hermann Isaac. More specific arguments that the poem's similarities to the Venus dedications indicate that the poem was written to Southampton have not gained wide acceptance. Modern analysts are more likely to remain agnostic on the question of the occasion of the poem, if any; all agree, however, that the sonnet at least dramatizes the type of emotions an older but lower-class poet might express toward a potential noble patron.
Assessments of the sonnets placement within the sequence vary. In conjunction with the biographical hypothesis, some scholars (among them Capell and Edward Dowden
) have seen it as an envoy or introduction to a certain set of poems sent to an aristocrat who had commissioned them. On thematic grounds, this group is usually defined as 20-25, but is sometimes extended to all of the first 25 sonnets. Others, among them George Wyndham
and Henry Charles Beeching
, make it the introduction of a new set, running until Sonnet 32
.
Capell and Malone's
emendation of the quarto
's "their" (line 12) to "thy" is almost universally accepted now.
The poem, like many others in the sequence, is built on a conceit rooted in social class. In this context, the master-servant trope commonplace in Petrarch
an love poetry is literalized, by the poem's address to an imagined noble. Helen Vendler
argues that the speaker's identification of himself as a slave or vassal invites skepticism rather than identification; however, others have stressed the appropriateness of the metaphor in the context of the speaker's frustrated desire for equality with the beloved.
As Stephen Booth notes, the poem works on a series of "shows": the word appears in four separate lines of the sonnet. Booth perceives a vague sexual pun in the second half of the poem, but G. B. Evans and others describe this reading as "strained."
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
Sonnet 26 is generally regarded as the end-point or culmination of the group of five preceding sonnets. It encapsulates several themes not only of Sonnets 20-25, but also of the first twenty-five poems together: the function of writing poems, the effect of class differences, and love.
Paraphrase
Beloved, whose own worth has connected me to you in feudal bonds, I send you these writings. I send them as a testament to my duty, not to show off my wit. Indeed, my duty is so great that my poor skill may not represent it adequately. Still, I hope that you will aid it with your own imagination, and give my naked rhymes some standing in the world through your approval. Not until the star under which I was born favors me, allowing me to write more beautifully about my love--not until then will I dare to boast of my love for you, but will rather stay away from places where you might be able to judge my love's value.Source and analysis
Analysis of this sonnet was at one point focused on its provenance. Edward CapellEdward Capell
Edward Capell , English Shakespearian critic, was born at Troston Hall in Suffolk.-Biography:Through the influence of the Duke of Grafton he was appointed to the office of deputy-inspector of plays in 1737, with a salary of £200 per annum, and in 1745 he was made groom of the privy chamber through...
was the first to note the similarity of content between the first quatrain
Quatrain
A quatrain is a stanza, or a complete poem, consisting of four lines of verse. Existing in various forms, the quatrain appears in poems from the poetic traditions of various ancient civilizations including Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome, and China; and, continues into the 21st century, where it is...
and the dedication to Southampton
Henry Wriothesley, 3rd Earl of Southampton
Henry Wriothesley , 3rd Earl of Southampton , was the second son of Henry Wriothesley, 2nd Earl of Southampton, and his wife Mary Browne, Countess of Southampton, daughter of the 1st Viscount Montagu...
in The Rape of Lucrece
The Rape of Lucrece
The Rape of Lucrece is a narrative poem by William Shakespeare about the legendary Lucretia. In his previous narrative poem, Venus and Adonis , Shakespeare had included a dedicatory letter to his patron, the Earl of Southampton, in which he promised to write a "graver work"...
. Some scholars have speculated that the poem was written to accompany some other of Shakespeare's writings, perhaps the first group of sonnets. The hypothesis remains intriguing but unproven. Edward Massey and Sidney Lee
Sidney Lee
Sir Sidney Lee was an English biographer and critic.He was born Solomon Lazarus Lee at 12 Keppel Street, Bloomsbury, London and educated at the City of London School and at Balliol College, Oxford, where he graduated in modern history in 1882. In the next year he became assistant-editor of the...
, among others, accept the connection between sonnet and dedication; among the skeptics are Thomas Tyler, Nicolaus Delius
Nicolaus Delius
Nicolaus Delius was a German philologist. Delius was born at Bremen; he was distinguished especially as a student of Shakespeare and for his edition of Shakespeare's works....
, and Hermann Isaac. More specific arguments that the poem's similarities to the Venus dedications indicate that the poem was written to Southampton have not gained wide acceptance. Modern analysts are more likely to remain agnostic on the question of the occasion of the poem, if any; all agree, however, that the sonnet at least dramatizes the type of emotions an older but lower-class poet might express toward a potential noble patron.
Assessments of the sonnets placement within the sequence vary. In conjunction with the biographical hypothesis, some scholars (among them Capell and Edward Dowden
Edward Dowden
Edward Dowden , was an Irish critic and poet.He was the son of John Wheeler Dowden, a merchant and landowner, and was born at Cork, three years after his brother John, who became Bishop of Edinburgh in 1886. Edward's literary tastes emerged early, in a series of essays written at the age of twelve...
) have seen it as an envoy or introduction to a certain set of poems sent to an aristocrat who had commissioned them. On thematic grounds, this group is usually defined as 20-25, but is sometimes extended to all of the first 25 sonnets. Others, among them George Wyndham
George Wyndham
George Wyndham PC was a British Conservative politician, man of letters, noted for his elegance, and one of The Souls.-Background and education:...
and Henry Charles Beeching
Henry Charles Beeching
Henry Charles Beeching was an English clergyman, author and poet. He was educated at the City of London School and at Balliol College, Oxford. He took holy orders in 1882, and began work in a Liverpool parish. He later became Dean of Norwich. He gave the Clark Lecture in 1900 on The history of...
, make it the introduction of a new set, running until Sonnet 32
Sonnet 32
Sonnet 32 is one of 154 sonnets written by the English playwright and poet William Shakespeare. It's a member of the Fair Youth sequence, in which the poet expresses his love towards a young man.-References:...
.
Capell and Malone's
Edmond Malone
Edmond Malone was an Irish Shakespearean scholar and editor of the works of William Shakespeare.Assured of an income after the death of his father in 1774, Malone was able to give up his law practice for at first political and then more congenial literary pursuits. He went to London, where he...
emendation of the quarto
Quarto
Quarto could refer to:* Quarto, a size or format of a book in which four leaves of a book are created from a standard size sheet of paper* For specific information about quarto texts of William Shakespeare's works, see:...
's "their" (line 12) to "thy" is almost universally accepted now.
The poem, like many others in the sequence, is built on a conceit rooted in social class. In this context, the master-servant trope commonplace in Petrarch
Petrarch
Francesco Petrarca , known in English as Petrarch, was an Italian scholar, poet and one of the earliest humanists. Petrarch is often called the "Father of Humanism"...
an love poetry is literalized, by the poem's address to an imagined noble. Helen Vendler
Helen Vendler
Helen Hennessy Vendler is a leading American critic of poetry.-Life and career:Vendler has written books on Emily Dickinson, W. B. Yeats, Wallace Stevens, John Keats, and Seamus Heaney. She has been a professor of English at Harvard University since 1984; between 1981 and 1984 she taught...
argues that the speaker's identification of himself as a slave or vassal invites skepticism rather than identification; however, others have stressed the appropriateness of the metaphor in the context of the speaker's frustrated desire for equality with the beloved.
As Stephen Booth notes, the poem works on a series of "shows": the word appears in four separate lines of the sonnet. Booth perceives a vague sexual pun in the second half of the poem, but G. B. Evans and others describe this reading as "strained."