Department of English

Faculty of Arts, Chulalongkorn University


Sonnet 43

(1609)

 

William Shakespeare

(1564–1616)

 

Sonnet 43
When most I wink, then do mine eyes best see,

For all the day they view things unrespected;


But when I sleep, in dreams they look on thee,


And darkly bright, are bright in dark directed.


Then thou, whose shadow shadows doth make bright,
 5

How would thy shadow's form form happy show


To the clear day with thy much clearer light,


When to unseeing eyes thy shade shines so!


How would (I say) mine eyes be blessèd made,


By looking on thee in the living day,
 10

When in dead night thy fair imperfect shade


Through heavy sleep on sightless eyes doth stay!


    All days are nights to see till I see thee,


    And nights bright days when dreams do show thee me.

 

Sonnet 43 Notes

1  When most I wink, then do mine eyes best see: cf. the proverb "Although I wink, I am not blind"


1  wink: close one's eyes

 

2  unrespected: play on the etymology of respect meaning "to look"; unrespected etymologically then would mean "not looked at"

4  darkly: in darkness, darkling, in the dark

4  bright:


4  directed: note possible play with several etymological senses including straight, guided, and written


5  Then:

5  shadow: image, likeness


5  shadows: darkness


9  blessèd:


11  dead night:



12  stay:



Sonnet 27

 

Weary with toil, I haste me to my bed,
The dear repose for limbs with travel tired;
But then begins a journey in my head,
To work my mind, when body's work's expired:
For then my thoughts, from far where I abide,
Intend a zealous pilgrimage to thee,
And keep my drooping eyelids open wide,
Looking on darkness which the blind do see
Save that my soul's imaginary sight
Presents thy shadow to my sightless view,
Which, like a jewel hung in ghastly night,
Makes black night beauteous and her old face new.
Lo! thus, by day my limbs, by night my mind,
For thee and for myself no quiet find.



5




10



Sonnet 61

 

Is it thy will thy image should keep open
My heavy eyelids to the weary night?
Dost thou desire my slumbers should be broken,
While shadows like to thee do mock my sight?
Is it thy spirit that thou send'st from thee
So far from home into my deeds to pry,
To find out shames and idle hours in me,
The scope and tenor of thy jealousy?
O, no! thy love, though much, is not so great:
It is my love that keeps mine eye awake;
Mine own true love that doth my rest defeat,
To play the watchman ever for thy sake:
For thee watch I whilst thou dost wake elsewhere,
From me far off, with others all too near.



5




10




 

Paraphrase of the sonnet (line by line)

When most I wink, then do mine eyes best see, a 1 When my eyes are closed most is when they see best
For all the day they view things unrespected; b 2 because all day they look upon things un(worthy of being) looked at;
But when I sleep, in dreams they look on thee, a 3 but when I sleep, my eyes look at you in dreams
And darkly bright, are bright in dark directed. b 4 and because you are bright in the darkness, my eyes are led to that light in the dark.
Then thou, whose shadow shadows doth make bright, c 5 Since this is the case, you, whose image the dark does make bright,
How would thy shadow's form form happy show d 6 How well would your image be revealed
To the clear day with thy much clearer light, c 7 in the clear day with your much clearer light
When to unseeing eyes thy shade shines so! d 8 when to unseeing eyes your image already shines so clearly!
How would (I say) mine eyes be blessèd made, e 9 How blessed would my eyes be
By looking on thee in the living day, f 10 in looking at you during the actual living day
When in dead night thy fair imperfect shade e 11 when in the deepest part of night your beautiful imperfect likeness
Through heavy sleep on sightless eyes doth stay! f 12 stays so imprinted on my sightless eyes in deep sleep!
    All days are nights to see till I see thee, g 13 All the days are like nights to look at until I see you,
    And nights bright days when dreams do show thee me. g 14 and nights are like bright days because my dreams show you to me.

 


Paraphrase of the sonnet (variations for discussion)

When most I wink, then do mine eyes best see,

a

1

When I close my eyes the most is when my eyes see the best,

When I most shut my eyes is when they best see,

For all the day they view things unrespected;

b

2

because all day my eyes see things that are not worth seeing;

because all through the day my eyes regard things which are unregarded.

But when I sleep, in dreams they look on thee,

a

3

But when I sleep my eyes see you in dreams,

And darkly bright, are bright in dark directed.

b

4

and because you are bright in the darkness, my eyes are led to that light in the dark.

and because of your brightness in that dark, my eyes are guided through the dark by your brilliance.

Then thou, whose shadow shadows doth make bright,

c

5

Now then, you, whose image the dark does make bright,

How would thy shadow's form form happy show

d

6

How well would your image be revealed

To the clear day with thy much clearer light,

c

7

in the clear day with your much clearer light

When to unseeing eyes thy shade shines so!

d

8

when to unseeing eyes your image already shines so clearly!

How would (I say) mine eyes be blessèd made,

e

9

How blessed would my eyes be

How very happy my eyes would be

By looking on thee in the living day,

f

10

in looking at you during the actual living day

when they look at you during the day

When in dead night thy fair imperfect shade

e

11

when in the deepest part of night your beautiful and imperfect likeness

Through heavy sleep on sightless eyes doth stay!

f

12

is already so fixed in my sightless eyes in deep sleep!

    All days are nights to see till I see thee,

g

13

All the days are like nights to look at until I see you,

Days are like nights to my eyes unless they can see you,

    And nights bright days when dreams do show thee me.

g

14

and nights are like bright days because my dreams show you to me.

 


 

 Study Questions

  • Shakespeare, like educated Elizabethans of his time, learned Greek and Latin in grammar school, and would often make meaningful use of the etymological (root) and English senses in his wordplay. Note the root meanings of Latin-derived words like respect, direct and perfect, and how they are related to the argument of the lines.

 

 

Links

Early Modern English

Composition in Shakespeare's Time
Concordances

 

 

William Shakespeare

 


Reference  

Booth, Stephen. Shakespeare's Sonnets. New Haven: Yale UP, 1977. Print.


Rowse, A. L. Shakespeare's Sonnets: The Problems Solved. New York: Harper and Row, 1973. Print.


 

Further Reading




 

Other critical writings on Shakespeare


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Last updated October 13, 2015