Sonnet #138 Summary and Analysis Notes The key to understanding the sonnet is to realize

that the poet is not saying that they are happy despite their lies. He is saying they are happy BECAUSE of their lies. Lies make them comfortable. They would rather lie and be lied to and be happy than to admit the truth that they do not like.

“O love’s best habit is in seeming trust” “Seeming” is the key word here. It isn’t saying that the most important thing in love is trust—actually the opposite. The most important thing is that they pretend to trust.

How to extend summary to analysisWhen you summarize, you are concerned

with what is happening INSIDE the text. You are pulling out the main ideas and putting them into your own words.

When you analyze, you are taking what happens inside the text and using it to connect to an idea OUTSIDE of the text. Explain how the ideas presented in the text relate to larger universal themes.

Sonnet # 138 Summary Student Examples1. Shakespeare is talking about two lovers with an

age gap. They lie to each other and ignore the facts, thereby creating a bubble of blissful happiness.

2. Everyone lies to themselves and to others. She lies and he lies to himself by saying that she lies even though they both know the truth. There is comfort in lies and with them both can be flattered (and therefore happy).

3. If two lovers tell each other flattering lies, it does not matter whether they are speaking the truth or not. Telling each other lies that make them feel better about themselves makes them happy.

Sonnet #138 Analysis Example 1In the sonnet, the main theme is that when

people are in love, they tell each other things they know aren’t true, but they do it to make each other feel happy. For example, “on both sides thus is simple truth suppressed,” Shakespeare is saying both of the lovers are hiding simple things, meaning lying, so that the other feels good about themselves.

Sonnet #138 Analysis Example 2The theme of the sonnet is that comfort exists

in lies. The author writes, “I lie with her and she with me, and in our faults by lies we flattered be.” This indicates that every person can come to accept and appreciate certain lies because they keep people comfortable and flattered. The author uses a pun in the above quote using lie both to mean untrue and to lie as in a bed, further showing that lies are comfortable.

Allusion AnalysisAnalysis: The purpose of the allusion is to provide a

figurative image that links the literary work (in this case, R&J) to a previous work, historical event, cultural reference, mythology, Biblical reference, etc. to increase the range of meaning through the context of the alluded work. In this case, the allusion to Cupid helps enhance the audience’s understanding of Mercutio and Romeo’s conversation about love. Cupid is used to personify each character’s outlook on love. Mercutio is flippant and light-hearted when he tells Romeo to “borrow Cupid’s wings and soar with them…” but Romeo’s counter comment demonstrates his frustration with love. He states that he is “too sore empierced with his shaft to sore with his light feathers,” mirroring his serious, sensitive outlook on love.

Soliloquy SummaryIn this passage, Juliet is anxiously awaiting

the return of her nurse who should be bringing news from Romeo. She expresses her annoyance with the nurse for not returning home fast enough. She believes that the nurse does not appreciate the strong feelings of love that Juliet has for Romeo because she is old. She claims the nurse uses her age as an excuse to move slowly and unenthusiastically.

Soliloquy AnalysisIn this particular passage, Juliet does not reveal herself to be

as mature as the audience has seen her be in previous scenes. She is impatiently waiting for news of Romeo via her Nurse. But her impatience leads her to insult her nurse, the very woman who is doing her a favor while keeping her forbidden love affair a secret. In previous scenes, the audience recognizes the loving bond between Juliet and the nurse and Juliet’s obedience to her nurse and parents. However, this soliloquy reveals that Juliet’s love for Romeo has resulted in her rebellion against authority figures she once respected. This soliloquy connects to the idea of youthful rebellion. In this case, Juliet shows a willingness to renounce her nurse. The audience has already witnessed Romeo and Juliet state their willingness to renounce their family names in order to be together.