Sonnet 141
Encyclopedia
The idea of 141 is the discrepancy between the poet's physical sense
s and wit
s (intellect) on the one hand and his heart on the other. Shakespeare describes a woman whose appearance does not elicit love (his eyes note a thousand errors in her appearance). Her voice is not pleasing to the ear (“Nor are mine ears with thy tongue's tune delighted”); her skin not pleasing to touch (“Nor tender feeling”); and there is an unpleasant taste and smell to her (“Nor taste, nor smell, desire to be invited”). Yet his heart remains affectionately attached to her.
The theme of the sonnet is the dichotomy between the poet's physical senses and wits (intellect) on the one hand and his heart on the other. Acknowledging that there is nothing physically attractive about the woman and that intellectually he cannot find a good reason for the relationship, the poet nevertheless is emotionally attracted to the woman.
He seems to feel this emotional attachment is a punishment, but he gets some gratification from the relationship, which is contrary to his judgment and causes him anguish and despair.
Sense
Senses are physiological capacities of organisms that provide inputs for perception. The senses and their operation, classification, and theory are overlapping topics studied by a variety of fields, most notably neuroscience, cognitive psychology , and philosophy of perception...
s and wit
Wit
Wit is a form of intellectual humour, and a wit is someone skilled in making witty remarks. Forms of wit include the quip and repartee.-Forms of wit:...
s (intellect) on the one hand and his heart on the other. Shakespeare describes a woman whose appearance does not elicit love (his eyes note a thousand errors in her appearance). Her voice is not pleasing to the ear (“Nor are mine ears with thy tongue's tune delighted”); her skin not pleasing to touch (“Nor tender feeling”); and there is an unpleasant taste and smell to her (“Nor taste, nor smell, desire to be invited”). Yet his heart remains affectionately attached to her.
The theme of the sonnet is the dichotomy between the poet's physical senses and wits (intellect) on the one hand and his heart on the other. Acknowledging that there is nothing physically attractive about the woman and that intellectually he cannot find a good reason for the relationship, the poet nevertheless is emotionally attracted to the woman.
He seems to feel this emotional attachment is a punishment, but he gets some gratification from the relationship, which is contrary to his judgment and causes him anguish and despair.
Trivia
- In the movie 10 Things I Hate About You10 Things I Hate about You10 Things I Hate About You is a 1999 American teen romantic comedy film. It is directed by Gil Junger and stars Heath Ledger, Julia Stiles, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Larisa Oleynik, David Krumholtz, and Larry Miller...
, the main character, Kat, is assigned to write her own version of Sonnet 141.