William Shakespeare’s Sonnet 97 is an exploration of the emotional and psychological effects of absence on the speaker, using rich seasonal imagery to convey feelings of desolation, longing, and diminished vitality. The poem is composed of fourteen lines, following the traditional English sonnet form: three quatrains and a final couplet. The structure and tone of the poem set the stage for a deeper emotional expression that reflects the absence of a loved one and the bleak consequences of this separation. The poem uses the passage of seasons as a metaphor for the passage of time and emotional states, skillfully portraying the pain of separation and the yearning for reunion.
Shakespeare’s Sonnet 97
How like a winter hath my absence been
From thee, the pleasure of the fleeting year!
What freezings have I felt, what dark days seen,
What old December’s bareness everywhere!
And yet this time removed was summer’s time,
The teeming autumn, big with rich increase,
Bearing the wanton burden of the prime,
Like widowed wombs after their lords’ decease.
Yet this abundant issue seemed to me
But hope of orphans and unfathered fruit;
For summer and his pleasures wait on thee,
And thou away, the very birds are mute;
Or if they sing, ’tis with so dull a cheer
That leaves look pale, dreading the winter’s near.
The Structure and Tone of Sonnet 97
The sonnet adheres to the strict form of the Shakespearean or English sonnet, which is characterized by three quatrains followed by a rhymed couplet. This structure allows the poet to present a problem or a situation in the quatrains, followed by a resolution or shift in perspective in the final couplet.
The tone of Sonnet 97 is one of melancholy and wistfulness, punctuated by the speaker’s reflections on the passage of time and his feelings of isolation. The imagery of winter, absence, and desolation evokes a sense of coldness and emptiness, contrasting sharply with the anticipated warmth and joy of reunion. The imagery also points to the emotional toll that separation takes, likening the speaker’s inner state to the barren, lifeless landscapes of winter.
Analysis of Sonnet 97
Lines 1-4 The Harshness of Absence
“How like a winter hath my absence been
From thee, the pleasure of the fleeting year!
What freezings have I felt, what dark days seen,
What old December’s bareness everywhere!”
In the opening quatrain, the speaker begins by comparing his absence to the cold, harsh winter. Winter, traditionally a symbol of death, desolation, and dormancy, serves as a metaphor for the emotional state the speaker experiences during this time of separation. The phrase “the pleasure of the fleeting year” emphasizes the temporal nature of life, highlighting that time moves on even in the absence of the loved one. The speaker feels that the “freezings” and “dark days” mirror the coldness and emotional void caused by the lack of his beloved. The reference to “old December’s bareness” evokes a sense of desolation, reinforcing the idea that the world seems lifeless and barren without the presence of the loved one.
Lines 5-8 The Comparison to Summer and Autumn
“And yet this time removed was summer’s time,
The teeming autumn, big with rich increase,
Bearing the wanton burden of the prime,
Like widowed wombs after their lords’ decease.”
In the second quatrain, the speaker introduces the contrast between the absence and the previous seasons of abundance and vitality. “This time removed was summer’s time” suggests that the speaker’s current sorrowful state follows a period of joy and fulfillment, perhaps a time of closeness with the beloved. Summer and autumn are metaphorically described as seasons full of life and growth, with autumn “big with rich increase.” However, the image of autumn also carries a sense of impending decay and loss, symbolized by the phrase “bearing the wanton burden of the prime,” which implies that even at the peak of vitality, there is an inevitable shift towards decline. The comparison to “widowed wombs after their lords’ decease” introduces a striking image of emptiness and mourning, further emphasizing the theme of absence. The idea of a “widowed womb” suggests the loss of potential life, symbolizing how the speaker feels a loss of vitality and hope in the absence of his beloved.
Lines 9-12: The Hopelessness of Separation
“Yet this abundant issue seemed to me
But hope of orphans and unfathered fruit;
For summer and his pleasures wait on thee,
And thou away, the very birds are mute;”
The speaker reflects on the apparent abundance of life and nature during the absence, yet it appears hollow and unfulfilled. The “abundant issue” of autumn, or the fruits of the season, is described as “hope of orphans and unfathered fruit,” which suggests that despite the outward appearance of abundance, there is no true fulfillment in the speaker’s life without the presence of the beloved. This imagery implies that life, without love and connection, feels incomplete—like an orphaned child or fruit that lacks its natural fathering presence. The line “For summer and his pleasures wait on thee” suggests that the joy and vibrancy of life, symbolized by the summer, can only be fully realized when the beloved returns. The absence of the beloved renders even the natural world subdued, as reflected in the image of birds being mute in the absence of their song. This further reinforces the sense of silence and lifelessness that accompanies separation.
Lines 13-14: The Despair of Longing
“Or if they sing, ’tis with so dull a cheer
That leaves look pale, dreading the winter’s near.”
In the final two lines, the speaker emphasizes the bleakness of the present moment. The birds, while still capable of singing, do so “with so dull a cheer,” indicating that even natural sounds of joy are muted by the sorrow of absence. The phrase “leaves look pale” conveys a sense of fading vitality, as if the entire world is anticipating the impending coldness and death of winter. The line “dreading the winter’s near” not only extends the winter metaphor but also suggests that life itself, in the absence of the beloved, is in a state of apprehension, waiting for an inevitable, cold end.
Conclusion
Shakespeare’s Sonnet 97 eloquently conveys the emotional desolation that comes with separation. Through the careful use of seasonal imagery, the speaker conveys feelings of loss, emptiness, and longing. The contrast between the vitality of summer and autumn and the coldness of winter reflects the speaker’s internal state: while the world may continue to exist, it lacks meaning and fulfillment without the presence of the beloved. The poem’s structure allows for a gradual build-up of these emotions, culminating in a final sense of despair as the speaker waits for the return of the one who can restore vibrancy and joy to his life.
