William Shakespeare‘s Sonnet 20 is part of his sequence of 154 sonnets, a body of work that delves into themes of love, beauty, time, and human nature. Like many of Shakespeare’s sonnets, it follows the typical structure of the English sonnet, consisting of 14 lines, written in iambic pentameter with a rhyme scheme of ABABCDCDEFEFGG. In this essay, we will explore the overall structure and tone of the poem before analyzing the poem in detail, focusing on each quatrain and the concluding couplet.
Shakespeare’s Sonnet 20
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 acquainted
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 pricked thee out for women’s pleasure,
Mine be thy love, and thy love’s use their treasure.
The Structure and Tone of Sonnet 20
Sonnet 20 adheres to the classic English sonnet form, but it is notable for its content and tone, which differ from the more typical expressions of love seen in Shakespeare’s other works. The sonnet addresses an ambiguous subject, often interpreted as a young man who possesses both masculine and feminine qualities, thus blurring traditional gender boundaries.
The tone of the poem is multifaceted, shifting between admiration, frustration, and resignation. Shakespeare’s speaker seems to be both captivated by the beauty and virtues of the subject and lamenting the fact that their relationship can never fully realize the speaker’s desire. This creates an underlying tension in the sonnet, one of love that cannot be consummated due to the limitations of nature, gender, and societal expectations.
Analysis of Sonnet 20
Lines 1–4
“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 acquainted
With shifting change, as is false women’s fashion;”
In the opening quatrain, the speaker begins by describing the subject in a way that suggests both feminine and masculine qualities. The phrase “A woman’s face with Nature’s own hand painted” immediately sets up an image of beauty and delicacy that is typically associated with femininity, with “Nature’s own hand” implying that this beauty is natural and pure.
The term “master mistress of my passion” is a striking oxymoron. Shakespeare combines the traditionally masculine “master” with the traditionally feminine “mistress,” indicating that the subject transcends gender norms, combining the best of both worlds. This ambiguity is central to the poem’s theme of androgyny or gender fluidity.
The phrase “A woman’s gentle heart, but not acquainted / With shifting change, as is false women’s fashion” further complicates the subject’s gender. While the speaker attributes a “woman’s gentle heart” to the subject, they also point out that the subject is not subject to “shifting change,” a critique of the superficial and often fickle nature of women in society. Here, Shakespeare critiques women’s alleged capriciousness while simultaneously suggesting that the subject’s heart remains constant and reliable.
Lines 5–8
“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.”
The second quatrain shifts the focus to the subject’s eyes, which are described as “more bright than theirs” (presumably, the eyes of women) and “less false in rolling,” indicating that the subject’s gaze is sincere and unpretentious. The “false rolling” of women’s eyes refers to the stereotype of women being deceptive or coquettish, a common trope in Elizabethan literature. In contrast, the speaker praises the subject for their genuine beauty and emotional transparency.
The line “Gilding the object whereupon it gazeth” suggests that the subject’s gaze has the power to transform the world around them, making everything they look upon seem more beautiful, as if their very presence imbues the world with light and radiance.
The next line, “A man in hue all hues in his controlling,” continues the idea of the subject’s androgynous beauty. The term “man in hue” suggests a man who possesses the ability to embody the full spectrum of human color and diversity, further emphasizing the subject’s transcendent beauty. This “hue” could also refer to the subject’s ability to navigate both male and female spheres, thus “controlling” the spectrum of human identity and desire. The phrase “Which steals men’s eyes and women’s souls amazeth” suggests that the subject’s beauty is so powerful that it captures the attention of both men and women, further accentuating the androgynous allure.
Lines 9–12
“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.”
In the third quatrain, the speaker reflects on the nature of the subject’s creation. “And for a woman wert thou first created” implies that the subject was initially intended to be female, but then something went awry during the creative process. The phrase “till Nature as she wrought thee fell a-doting” suggests that Nature, in creating the subject, became so enamored with their beauty that she made an error—changing the subject’s intended gender.
The speaker’s frustration is palpable in “And by addition me of thee defeated,” where the “addition” refers to the subject being assigned a male gender. This change “defeated” the speaker’s desires because it placed a barrier between the speaker and their object of affection—one that prevents the speaker from fully realizing their romantic desires. The phrase “by adding one thing to my purpose nothing” suggests that the speaker’s intentions have been thwarted by the addition of male identity, which creates an unbridgeable gap in their relationship.
Lines 13–14
“But since she pricked thee out for women’s pleasure,
Mine be thy love, and thy love’s use their treasure.”
In the final couplet, the speaker shifts to a sense of acceptance. The line “But since she pricked thee out for women’s pleasure” acknowledges that Nature has created the subject to fulfill a role in the world of women’s desire, emphasizing the tension between the subject’s beauty, which belongs to both men and women, and the societal expectations tied to gender.
Despite this, the speaker concludes, “Mine be thy love, and thy love’s use their treasure.” Here, the speaker expresses a form of ownership and possession, claiming the subject’s love as their own, even though the subject’s beauty is also intended for women’s pleasure. The phrase “thy love’s use their treasure” suggests that the speaker recognizes that others will benefit from the subject’s love, but the speaker also hopes to claim a unique and personal connection.
Conclusion
In Sonnet 20, Shakespeare explores themes of gender, beauty, and desire through the lens of androgyny and societal expectations. The speaker is deeply captivated by the subject, whose beauty transcends traditional gender roles, and yet the speaker is frustrated by the social and natural limitations that prevent a full, reciprocal love. Shakespeare’s portrayal of the subject as a “master mistress” and the blending of masculine and feminine traits reflects the complex interplay between identity and attraction, as well as the tension between idealized love and the realities of human nature.
The poem is ultimately about the unattainability of the speaker’s desires due to the subject’s assigned gender, but it also suggests a certain acceptance, as the speaker claims the subject’s love for themselves, even if only in a limited way. This sonnet remains one of Shakespeare’s most intriguing works, not only for its exploration of gender fluidity but also for the subtle yet powerful emotional resonance that underpins the speaker’s longing.
