William Shakespeare‘s Sonnet 72 is part of his Fair Youth sequence, which expresses the speaker’s complex feelings about love, death, and the immortality of reputation. Like many of Shakespeare’s sonnets, Sonnet 72 revolves around a paradox: the fear of being forgotten after death versus the desire for the memory of love to endure. The poem’s structure, tone, and specific imagery contribute to its exploration of these themes.
Shakespeare’s Sonnet 72
O, lest the world should task you to recite
What merit lived in me that you should love,
After my death, dear love, forget me quite,
For you in me can nothing worthy prove;
Unless you would devise some virtuous lie,
To do more for me than mine own desert,
And hang more praise upon deceasèd I
Than niggard truth would willingly impart.
O, lest your true love may seem false in this,
That you for love speak well of me untrue,
My name be buried where my body is
And live no more to shame nor me nor you.
For I am shamed by that which I bring forth,
And so should you, to love things nothing worth.
The Structure and Tone of Sonnet 72
Shakespeare’s Sonnet 72 follows the conventional structure of the English sonnet, comprising 14 lines written in iambic pentameter. The sonnet is divided into three quatrains and a final rhymed couplet. The rhyme scheme is ABABCDCDEFEFGG. The structure of the poem contributes to the unfolding of the speaker’s argument: each quatrain introduces a new idea or develops an existing one, while the final couplet delivers a conclusion or resolution.
The tone of Sonnet 72 is somber, introspective, and cautionary. The speaker’s voice seems to grapple with the dualities of love and death, pride and humility, truth and deception. Throughout the sonnet, there is a sense of self-doubt and insecurity, combined with a desire to protect the lover from the burden of speaking ill or falsely about the speaker after death. The somber tone is underscored by the speaker’s view of their own worthlessness, creating a feeling of resignation and melancholic wisdom.
Analysis of Sonnet 72
Lines 1–4
“O, lest the world should task you to recite
What merit lived in me that you should love,
After my death, dear love, forget me quite,
For you in me can nothing worthy prove;”
In these opening lines, the speaker addresses the beloved directly, urging them to forget the speaker entirely after death. The phrase “lest the world should task you” suggests that the speaker is concerned not with how the lover might feel but how they might be compelled by society or external forces to commemorate or speak of the speaker after death. The question of “What merit lived in me” implies that the speaker feels unworthy of love or praise, as though the lover has nothing of value to recall or extol after the speaker’s passing. There is a clear sense of self-deprecation here, as the speaker questions their own significance. The phrase “nothing worthy prove” emphasizes the futility the speaker feels about their own life and love, suggesting that after death, the lover should move on and forget them entirely.
Lines 5–8
“Unless you would devise some virtuous lie,
To do more for me than mine own desert,
And hang more praise upon deceasèd I
Than niggard truth would willingly impart.”
In these lines, the speaker acknowledges that if the lover were to speak of them after death, it would likely require a “virtuous lie”—a fabrication to praise the speaker more than their deeds or character would merit. The speaker implies that the only way for the lover to honor them is through exaggeration or falsification, suggesting a discrepancy between the truth of the speaker’s worth and the idealized image that the lover might feel compelled to uphold. The phrase “niggard truth” further emphasizes this notion: the speaker fears that truth, in its cruel and unflattering form, would not do justice to them in the eyes of the lover, hence the idea of a false praise that could “do more” for the speaker than the reality of their own actions or qualities.
Lines 9–12
“O, lest your true love may seem false in this,
That you for love speak well of me untrue,
My name be buried where my body is
And live no more to shame nor me nor you.”
Here, the speaker warns that if the lover speaks falsely of them, it could lead to the perception that the lover’s true feelings are insincere or dishonest. The phrase “lest your true love may seem false” reflects the speaker’s concern that exaggerated praise or falsehoods about the speaker after death would undermine the authenticity of the lover’s affection. The speaker’s name, once tied to the body, would become a source of shame rather than a memorial. The final line, “live no more to shame nor me nor you,” is a plea to erase any false praise or excessive commemoration, ensuring that neither the lover nor the speaker’s legacy is tainted by such a distortion of truth.
Lines 13–14
“For I am shamed by that which I bring forth,
And so should you, to love things nothing worth.”
The concluding couplet brings the sonnet to a somber and final resolution. The speaker confesses that they feel shame not only for their own shortcomings but for the idea that the lover might love someone “nothing worth.” The speaker’s lack of self-worth is the ultimate conclusion of the argument: they fear that the love they receive is undeserved, and that any false praise or acknowledgment after their death would be shameful to both parties. The final lines suggest that if the lover truly loves them, they should not perpetuate a love that is based on lies or empty praise, reinforcing the idea that love should be grounded in truth rather than illusion.
Conclusion
Shakespeare’s Sonnet 72 is a poignant exploration of the intersection between love, reputation, and mortality. Through the speaker’s reflections, the poem grapples with the fear of being forgotten or misremembered after death. The speaker’s self-deprecating view of their own worth, along with their concern that the lover may be compelled to speak untruths, underscores the complexities of how love and memory function in the face of death. In a broader sense, the sonnet invites readers to reflect on the nature of legacy and the importance of truth in relationships—particularly when one is no longer around to defend or shape their own reputation. The melancholic tone and logical progression of the argument make this sonnet a rich meditation on the fragile nature of love and the human desire for authenticity, even after death.
