Cluster: Relationships
SONNET 116 – William Shakespeare
Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Admit impediments. Love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove:
O no! it is an ever-fixed mark
That looks on tempests and is never shaken;
It is the star to every wandering bark,
Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken.
Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
Within his bending sickle's compass come:
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
But bears it out even to the edge of doom.
If this be error and upon me proved,
I never writ, nor no man ever loved.
Task One:

Read the poem and get a general sense of Shakespeare’s general theme. Write a
summary in the box below:
Task Two

Study Shakespeare’s imagery and complete comment boxes for each example you
find. How do these images contribute to his overall theme?
Cluster: Relationships
Task Three
Complete the metre table by marking each syllable as stressed (/) or unstressed (-).
The first line has been done for you.
NB: Some words were traditionally foreshortened in typical Elizabethan English: the
syllable divisions here reflect the most likely contemporary pronunciations.
Let
/
me
not
/
to
the
/
marr
iage
/
of
two
/
minds
Ad
mit
im
ped
im
ents.
Love
is
not
love
Which
al
ters
when
it
al
ter
a
tion
finds,
Or
bends
with
the
re
mov
er
to
re
move:
O
no!
it
is
an
ev
er
fix
ed
mark
That
looks
on
tem
pests
and
is
ne
ver
sha
It
is
the
star
to
ev
ery
wand
ering
bark
Whose
worth’s
un
known
al
though
his
height
be
ta
Love’s
not
Time’s
fool,
though
ro
sy
lips
and
cheeks
With
in
his
ben
ding
si
ckle’s
com
pass
come
Love
al
ters
not
with
his
brief
hours
and
weeks
But
bears
it
out
even
to
the
edge
of
doom
If
this
be
er
ror
and
up
on
me
proved
I
nev
er
writ
no
no
man
ev
er
loved
ken
ken

What do you notice about the underlying metrical pattern of the poem?

Highlight in yellow any instances where the underlying metrical pattern does not
quite seem to fit. List these syllables or words here:
Cluster: Relationships
Paragraph for exam:

How does Shakespeare manipulate the traditional metrical conventions of the
sonnet form in support of his exploration of the theme?