William Shakespeare’s Sonnet 86 is a poignant reflection on the power of beauty and its effect on the speaker’s poetic ability. The sonnet falls within the sequence of Shakespeare’s famous 154 sonnets, many of which focus on themes of love, beauty, time, and the relationship between the poet and the beloved. Sonnet 86 is part of the larger conversation on the poet’s sense of inadequacy when compared to the surpassing beauty of the young man addressed in the poems. In this essay, we will explore the sonnet’s structure, tone, and detailed analysis of each quatrain and the closing couplet, elucidating how the speaker navigates the impact of the youth’s beauty on his creative power.
Shakespeare’s Sonnet 86
Was it the proud full sail of his great verse,
Bound for the prize of all-too-precious you,
That did my ripe thoughts in my brain inhearse,
Making their tomb the womb wherein they grew?
Was it his spirit, by spirits taught to write
Above a mortal pitch, that struck me dead?
No, neither he, nor his compeers by night
Giving him aid, my verse astonishèd.
He, nor that affable familiar ghost
Which nightly gulls him with intelligence,
As victors of my silence cannot boast;
I was not sick of any fear from thence.
But when your countenance filled up his line,
Then lacked I matter; that enfeebled mine.
The Structure and Tone of Sonnet 86
Like most of Shakespeare’s sonnets, Sonnet 86 is written in the traditional English (Shakespearean) sonnet form, comprising 14 lines divided into three quatrains and a final rhyming couplet. The rhyme scheme is ABAB CDCD EFEF GG, a structure that facilitates the development of an argument followed by a resolution in the final couplet.
The meter is iambic pentameter, a rhythmic pattern that consists of five pairs of syllables per line, with the emphasis typically falling on the second syllable of each pair. This meter is especially suited to the formal and elevated language of the sonnet, lending it a sense of grandeur and deliberation.
The tone of Sonnet 86 is one of lamentation and self-reflection, but also of acceptance. The speaker expresses a sense of inferiority, acknowledging that he has been overshadowed by the beauty and greatness of the person he admires. This is not a tone of bitterness, but rather one of resignation, where the poet reflects on his perceived failure in the face of something greater than himself. The tone is introspective, as the speaker considers how the beloved’s presence diminishes his poetic potential, ultimately admitting that it is the youth’s beauty, rather than other external forces, that has reduced his creative inspiration.
Analysis of Sonnet 86
Lines 1–4
“Was it the proud full sail of his great verse,
Bound for the prize of all-too-precious you,
That did my ripe thoughts in my brain inhearse,
Making their tomb the womb wherein they grew?”
In the opening quatrain, the speaker begins with a rhetorical question, pondering whether the “great verse” of another poet (likely a reference to the literary prowess of a contemporary or a mythic figure) could be the reason his own thoughts are stifled. The phrase “proud full sail” evokes an image of a mighty ship, one that is setting out on a grand journey. The “prize” of this journey is the beloved’s beauty, which is described as “all-too-precious,” a treasure so magnificent that it causes the speaker’s “ripe thoughts” to be “inhearse” (trapped or imprisoned) in his mind. The word “tomb” in the following line suggests that the poet’s thoughts have died before they could be fully realized, imprisoned within his own creative process. The metaphor of “womb” in the final phrase of this quatrain evokes a sense of potential that is never fulfilled, as if the speaker’s thoughts are “growing” only to be extinguished before birth.
This stanza introduces the central theme of the poem: the overwhelming influence of the beloved’s beauty, which subjugates the poet’s creative energy, making it impossible for him to produce work that would compare favorably to that beauty.
Lines 5–8
“Was it his spirit, by spirits taught to write
Above a mortal pitch, that struck me dead?
No, neither he, nor his compeers by night
Giving him aid, my verse astonishèd.”
The speaker next questions whether it is the “spirit” of the beloved that has rendered him incapable of writing, suggesting that the youth’s intellectual or artistic qualities may be responsible for the speaker’s impotence. The reference to “spirits” and “compeers by night” evokes the idea of a supernatural influence or guidance, perhaps invoking the idea of a Muse or otherworldly aid that helps the poet create. The speaker’s use of the phrase “above a mortal pitch” implies that the beauty and intellect of the youth are transcendent, far beyond what a mere mortal could achieve. Despite this, the speaker dismisses the notion that the youth’s own gifts, or those of his associates, are responsible for his own creative failure. The conclusion of this quatrain (“my verse astonishèd”) highlights the feeling of being overwhelmed or struck speechless—an artist’s inability to create when faced with something greater than himself.
Lines 9–12
“He, nor that affable familiar ghost
Which nightly gulls him with intelligence,
As victors of my silence cannot boast
I was not sick of any fear from thence.”
In this quatrain, the speaker continues to dismiss the idea that external influences (such as the “affable familiar ghost,” possibly referring to the speaker’s own sense of poetic inspiration or a figurative Muse) are the cause of his lack of creativity. The phrase “nightly gulls him with intelligence” suggests that the speaker’s rival might be in some way aided by a guiding force—perhaps divine or supernatural. However, the speaker asserts that he is not intimidated by these influences. He claims that there is no “fear” or “sickness” in his silence, meaning that his inability to write is not the result of a lack of courage or external pressure, but a deeper, more internal cause.
Lines 13–14
“But when your countenance filled up his line,
Then lacked I matter; that enfeebled mine.”
The final couplet offers the resolution to the speaker’s earlier musings. The true cause of the speaker’s creative impotence is revealed: it is the beloved’s beauty. When the youth’s “countenance” (face or presence) fills the lines of the speaker’s verse, the poet is unable to find the necessary “matter” or substance to continue. The beauty of the youth is so overpowering that it “enfeebles” the poet’s own work. The image of the poet’s verse being drained of its energy reflects the idea that the beloved’s presence has a depleting effect on the speaker’s creative spirit, leaving him devoid of the inspiration to write.
Conclusion
In Sonnet 86, Shakespeare masterfully explores the relationship between the poet and his muse. The poem reflects on the vulnerability of the poet in the face of overwhelming beauty, particularly that of the young man to whom the sonnet is addressed. The speaker’s self-reflection reveals that it is not external forces or rivals that stifle his creativity, but the overpowering presence of the beloved, which renders him unable to express himself. Through vivid metaphors and an intricate exploration of creative impotence, Shakespeare poignantly conveys the paradox of inspiration: the very beauty that might inspire the poet also silences him.
