Shakespeare‘s Sonnet 43, like many of his sonnets, is an expression of the intense and paradoxical nature of love. The poem’s tone is infused with yearning and romantic longing, tinged with a sense of melancholy and contemplation. In exploring the relationship between light and shadow, sight and blindness, Shakespeare eloquently depicts the inner turmoil of a lover unable to experience his beloved in the full light of day, yet finding solace and beauty in dreams. Through his use of vivid imagery and contrast, Shakespeare delves into the complex nature of love that is often clouded by distance, unfulfilled longing, or separation.
Shakespeare’s Sonnet 43
When most I wink, then do mine eyes best see,
For all the day they view things unrespected;
But when I sleep, in dreams they look on thee
And, darkly bright, are bright in dark directed.
Then thou whose shadow shadows doth make bright,
How would thy shadow’s form form happy show
To the clear day with thy much clearer light
When to unseeing eyes thy shade shines so!
How would, I say, mine eyes be blessèd made
By looking on thee in the living day,
When in dead night thy fair imperfect shade
Through heavy sleep on sightless eyes doth stay!
All days are nights to see till I see thee,
And nights bright days when dreams do show thee me.
The Structure and Tone of Sonnet 43
Sonnet 43 follows the typical Shakespearean sonnet structure: 14 lines, written in iambic pentameter, and divided into three quatrains followed by a final couplet. The rhyme scheme is ABAB CDCD EFEF GG. This formal structure provides a solid framework for the exploration of complex emotions, with each quatrain presenting a new layer of the speaker’s thoughts on his lover and their separation.
The tone of the poem is a mixture of wistfulness, longing, and paradoxical joy. The speaker, while lamenting the inability to fully see his lover in the daylight, finds an intense form of connection in the dreams of the night. The use of contrast—”bright in dark,” “clear day” versus “dead night”—creates a tone that is both contemplative and emotionally charged. The dream state serves as a source of solace, yet it highlights the sadness of unattainable love in the waking world.
Analysis of Sonnet 43
Lines 1–4
When most I wink, then do mine eyes best see,
For all the day they view things unrespected;
But when I sleep, in dreams they look on thee
And, darkly bright, are bright in dark directed.
In the opening lines, the speaker introduces the paradox at the heart of the poem: he sees most clearly when his eyes are closed. The use of the word “wink” (a quick closing of the eyes) implies that even in brief moments of unconsciousness, the speaker’s vision is more potent than during the hours of wakefulness. This paradox emphasizes the tension between physical sight and emotional perception. The phrase “darkly bright” further captures the contradiction, as it describes how his dreams of the beloved appear to him—bright even in the darkness of sleep. The image suggests that the speaker experiences a clearer vision of his lover in dreams than he does in reality.
Lines 5–8
Then thou whose shadow shadows doth make bright,
How would thy shadow’s form form happy show
To the clear day with thy much clearer light
When to unseeing eyes thy shade shines so!
The speaker addresses the lover directly, claiming that even the lover’s shadow is able to bring light. The repetition of “shadow” conveys both the absence of the beloved and their presence in an ethereal, intangible way. The lover’s shadow, though dim, still has the power to shine. The speaker wonders what it would be like to see the beloved in the full light of day, comparing the lover’s shadow to the sunlight that could reveal the lover’s true form. This section emphasizes the longing for the physical presence of the lover, contrasting the clarity and brilliance of daylight with the faintness of shadow.
Lines 9–12
How would, I say, mine eyes be blessèd made
By looking on thee in the living day,
When in dead night thy fair imperfect shade
Through heavy sleep on sightless eyes doth stay!
Here, the speaker imagines what it would be like to gaze upon the lover in the light of day. He envisions a kind of blissful illumination that could occur if he could see the lover in person. The phrase “dead night” conveys the sadness of the separation, while the “imperfect shade” suggests that the lover’s presence in dreams, though beautiful, is incomplete or lacking in some way. This section highlights the discrepancy between the dream world, where the speaker experiences a partial vision of his lover, and the waking world, where the speaker’s sight is unfulfilled.
Lines 13–14
All days are nights to see till I see thee,
And nights bright days when dreams do show thee me.
In the final couplet, the speaker concludes with a powerful statement of longing: “All days are nights to see till I see thee.” The absence of the beloved makes the days feel dark, as if the speaker is living in perpetual night. Conversely, when he dreams of the beloved, the night becomes bright with their presence. The imagery of “nights bright days” reinforces the idea that the speaker finds solace and illumination in his dreams, even though the true fulfillment of seeing the lover in the light of day remains elusive. The paradoxical blending of day and night, light and darkness, further emphasizes the emotional depth and complexity of the speaker’s feelings.
Conclusion
Shakespeare’s Sonnet 43 presents a profound meditation on love, longing, and the nature of perception. Through the use of striking paradoxes—such as “darkly bright” and “nights bright days”—the poem explores the tension between the idealized vision of the lover in dreams and the absence of fulfillment in reality. The speaker’s emotional turmoil is conveyed through a careful interplay of light and shadow, sight and blindness, and day and night, creating a poem that resonates with the universal experience of unrequited love or love that cannot be fully realized.
