William Shakespeare’s Sonnet 133 is a poem of profound emotional complexity and intricate language, delving into themes of love, betrayal, and the struggles of personal identity within a relationship. It belongs to Shakespeare’s later sonnets, in which the poet increasingly explores darker, more conflicted emotions, particularly in relation to his interactions with the Fair Youth and the Rival Poet. In Sonnet 133, Shakespeare presents a triangular relationship, involving the speaker, a friend (or lover), and an unnamed third party, possibly a rival or a betrayer, whose influence results in emotional turmoil and a profound sense of inner conflict.
Shakespeare’s Sonnet 133
Beshrew that heart that makes my heart to groan
For that deep wound it gives my friend and me.
Is ’t not enough to torture me alone,
But slave to slavery my sweet’st friend must be?
Me from myself thy cruel eye hath taken,
And my next self thou harder hast engrossed;
Of him, myself, and thee I am forsaken,
A torment thrice threefold thus to be crossed.
Prison my heart in thy steel bosom’s ward,
But then my friend’s heart let my poor heart bail.
Whoe’er keeps me, let my heart be his guard;
Thou canst not then use rigor in my jail.
And yet thou wilt, for I, being pent in thee,
Perforce am thine, and all that is in me.
Structure and Tone of Sonnet 133
The structure of Sonnet 133 adheres to the traditional form of a Shakespearean sonnet. It consists of 14 lines, divided into three quatrains and a final rhymed couplet, with the rhyme scheme ABABCDCDEFEFGG. The poem is written in iambic pentameter, a common metrical pattern for Shakespeare’s sonnets, which lends a rhythmic flow that mirrors the speaker’s fluctuating emotional states.
The tone of the sonnet is one of intense emotional suffering and frustration. The speaker expresses a deep sense of betrayal, confusion, and powerlessness, compounded by the anguish of being trapped in a relationship where emotional and physical freedoms are compromised. This tone of suffering is heightened by the imagery of imprisonment and enslavement, as well as the internal conflict between love, duty, and self-preservation.
Analysis of Sonnet 133
Lines 1–4
Beshrew that heart that makes my heart to groan
For that deep wound it gives my friend and me.
Is ’t not enough to torture me alone,
But slave to slavery my sweet’st friend must be?
In the opening quatrain, the speaker laments the emotional pain caused by the situation, addressing the heart of a rival or betrayer. The phrase “Beshrew that heart” can be understood as a curse upon the person whose actions are causing this deep anguish. The speaker’s heart “groans” under the weight of emotional pain, a metaphor for the overwhelming sorrow inflicted by the situation. The pain is not only personal but is shared with the speaker’s friend or lover. The speaker questions the cruelty of the situation, suggesting that it is not enough for him to suffer alone but that his friend must also endure emotional “slavery.” This creates an image of a double torment — not only is the speaker trapped in pain, but so is his friend, which amplifies his distress.
Lines 5–8
Me from myself thy cruel eye hath taken,
And my next self thou harder hast engrossed;
Of him, myself, and thee I am forsaken,
A torment thrice threefold thus to be crossed.
The second quatrain delves deeper into the psychological effects of the betrayal. The speaker feels as though he has been “taken” from himself by the “cruel eye” of the person causing his suffering. This can be interpreted as a metaphor for the emotional manipulation or control that has disrupted his sense of self. The phrase “my next self thou harder hast engrossed” suggests that the betrayer has also ensnared the speaker’s friend or lover, thus taking even that part of him, making the betrayal more complex and painful. The repetition of the word “forsaken” indicates a profound sense of abandonment — the speaker feels alienated not just from the person he loves, but from his own identity. The phrase “A torment thrice threefold thus to be crossed” conveys the intensity of the pain, with “threefold” symbolizing the tripartite nature of the suffering: the speaker, his friend, and the third party.
Lines 9–12
Prison my heart in thy steel bosom’s ward,
But then my friend’s heart let my poor heart bail.
Whoe’er keeps me, let my heart be his guard;
Thou canst not then use rigor in my jail.
The third quatrain shifts the metaphor to one of imprisonment. The speaker concedes that his heart may be “prisoned” in the “steel bosom’s ward” — a metaphorical image of a cold, unfeeling captor. However, the speaker asserts that his friend’s heart should be freed by his own love. “Let my poor heart bail” suggests that the speaker is willing to sacrifice his own emotional freedom to release his friend from the emotional captivity imposed by the rival. The speaker proposes that whoever “keeps” him (perhaps the rival or the betrayer) should also be responsible for guarding his heart. This implies a shift in power, where the speaker, though imprisoned, asserts control over his emotional life by making his heart the guard of his emotions and relationships.
Lines 13–14
And yet thou wilt, for I, being pent in thee,
Perforce am thine, and all that is in me.
The final couplet reveals the tragic resolution of the speaker’s inner conflict. Despite all the pain and efforts to regain control, the speaker admits that he is still “pent” (trapped) in the power of the betrayer. The word “perforce” suggests that the speaker is compelled to be “thine” — the betrayer has taken such control that the speaker cannot escape. The line “and all that is in me” reinforces the totality of the emotional subjugation: the speaker has surrendered not only his heart but his entire sense of self to the power of the rival or betrayer.
Conclusion
Shakespeare’s Sonnet 133 explores complex emotional territory, navigating the themes of love, betrayal, and personal loss. Through vivid metaphors of imprisonment and enslavement, the speaker conveys the depth of his emotional turmoil and his struggle to regain control over his heart and his relationships. The triangular nature of the relationship — involving the speaker, a friend or lover, and a rival or betrayer — creates an intricate emotional landscape where the boundaries between love, pain, and selfhood become blurred. The sonnet’s tone of frustration, anguish, and resignation resonates with the universal human experience of feeling trapped within the confines of a troubled relationship. Ultimately, Sonnet 133 portrays the torment of love as an experience that is both deeply personal and inextricably linked to the actions of others.
