William Shakespeare‘s Sonnet 153, one of the 154 sonnets in the collection, is a clever and intricate exploration of love, desire, and unattainable remedies. In this sonnet, Shakespeare uses the mythological figures of Cupid and Diana, combining elements of classical imagery with the deeply personal emotions of the speaker. Like many of Shakespeare’s sonnets, “Sonnet 153” uses a mix of humor, irony, and sincerity to explore love’s complex and often painful nature. In this essay, we will break down the poem‘s structure, tone, and analyze its lines for a deeper understanding of the message Shakespeare conveys.
Shakespeare’s Sonnet 153
Cupid laid by his brand and fell asleep.
A maid of Dian’s this advantage found,
And his love-kindling fire did quickly steep
In a cold valley-fountain of that ground,
Which borrowed from this holy fire of Love
A dateless lively heat, still to endure,
And grew a seething bath which yet men prove
Against strange maladies a sovereign cure.
But at my mistress’ eye Love’s brand new fired,
The boy for trial needs would touch my breast;
I, sick withal, the help of bath desired
And thither hied, a sad distempered guest,
But found no cure. The bath for my help lies
Where Cupid got new fire—my mistress’ eyes.
The Structure and Tone of Sonnet 153
“Sonnet 153” is written in the traditional Shakespearean sonnet form, consisting of 14 lines divided into three quatrains (four-line stanzas) and a final couplet (two-line stanza). The rhyme scheme follows the typical ABABCDCDEFEFGG pattern, a hallmark of the Shakespearean sonnet. The meter is iambic pentameter, meaning each line typically consists of ten syllables with an unstressed-stressed syllabic pattern.
The tone of the sonnet fluctuates between playfulness and earnestness, creating a sense of dramatic irony. The speaker refers to Cupid and love as forces both powerful and playful, offering a whimsical view of how love affects him. Yet there is an undercurrent of longing, disappointment, and irony as he reveals that the cure for his ills is elusive and, perhaps, unattainable. This duality of tone is one of the strengths of the poem, as it captures the tension between the idealized nature of love and the painful reality of unrequited or unattainable love.
Analysis of Sonnet 153
Lines 1–4 The Power of Love’s Fire
“Cupid laid by his brand and fell asleep.
A maid of Dian’s this advantage found,
And his love-kindling fire did quickly steep
In a cold valley-fountain of that ground.”
In the opening quatrain, Shakespeare introduces Cupid, the god of love, who is depicted as momentarily resting, having laid down his firebrand. Cupid’s weapon, a torch, is often used to ignite the flames of love. However, here, he is momentarily distracted, setting the stage for an action by a maid of Diana (a figure representing chastity and purity in Greek mythology). This maid takes advantage of Cupid’s slumber by dipping his love-kindling fire into a cold fountain, cooling it down.
The “cold valley-fountain” symbolizes an external agent (possibly the influence of chastity or the absence of passionate love) that subdues Cupid’s fire. The image of a cold fountain washing over a fire suggests an effort to temper or extinguish love, turning it from a passionate, overwhelming force into something controlled or subdued.
Lines 5–8 The Seething Bath
“Which borrowed from this holy fire of Love
A dateless lively heat, still to endure,
And grew a seething bath which yet men prove
Against strange maladies a sovereign cure.”
The cold fountain is not just an act of cooling; it “borrows” the heat of Cupid’s fire, creating a “seething bath” that still possesses “lively heat.” This image of a “seething bath” suggests a transformation: something that was once cold has been heated and made potent. The bath is described as a “sovereign cure” for strange maladies, implying that love, when tempered or controlled, can heal or provide relief. This could be a subtle commentary on the transformative, healing power of love, even when it is not experienced in its most passionate form.
However, there is also an irony here. While the bath is meant to heal, it is still ultimately a creation of Cupid’s love-fire, suggesting that love itself, in all its forms, can both cure and afflict. Thus, the bath is both a remedy and a potential cause of further complication.
Lines 9–12: The Cure Sought by the Speaker
“But at my mistress’ eye Love’s brand new fired,
The boy for trial needs would touch my breast;
I, sick withal, the help of bath desired
And thither hied, a sad distempered guest.”
In these lines, the speaker reveals that when he gazes upon his mistress, Cupid’s fire is reignited. Her eyes are now the source of his suffering and longing, reawakening the same passionate love that had once been subdued. The mention of “Love’s brand new fired” suggests that, unlike the cool, temperate fire of the previous lines, the speaker’s experience of love is intense and raw.
The speaker seeks the same “bath” that once had healing properties, but he finds himself as a “sad distempered guest” seeking help. The irony is palpable here. Although the speaker is clearly in distress from the flames of love, he still believes the remedy (the bath) will cure him, demonstrating how love distorts his perceptions of healing. The bath, symbolically, cannot help him, as he realizes that his distress is internal, not external.
Lines 13–14: The Irony of the Cure
“But found no cure. The bath for my help lies
Where Cupid got new fire—my mistress’ eyes.”
In the final couplet, the speaker admits that he found no cure. The remedy he sought—the bath—cannot alleviate the pain because it is intrinsically tied to the source of his suffering: his mistress’s eyes. Her eyes are the new source of Cupid’s fire, the very cause of his turmoil. Thus, the healing bath, which was supposed to provide relief, is ironically connected to the cause of his love-induced illness.
The final lines of the sonnet carry an ironic twist, suggesting that the speaker cannot escape the power of love, for it resides in the very thing that causes him pain. This line may reflect the futility of seeking external remedies for internal emotional conflicts. In Shakespeare’s treatment of love, it is not merely a fleeting sensation or illness but an all-consuming force that cannot be escaped.
Conclusion
Shakespeare’s Sonnet 153 is a fascinating exploration of love’s paradoxical nature. Through the use of classical mythology and imagery, he presents love as both a healing and destructive force. The speaker’s longing for relief from his emotional suffering is ultimately futile, as the very thing he seeks for comfort—the “bath”—is inherently tied to the cause of his distress. The interplay of irony, mythological references, and the tension between healing and harm in the poem creates a rich and multifaceted meditation on love’s complexities. Ultimately, Shakespeare’s treatment of love in this sonnet serves as a reminder of its transformative power, both for good and ill.
