But the reality is that biographical details are entirely lacking, even if we knew for certain that she did exist.īecause of the sonnet's setting between two relatively light hearted ones, I am more inclined to play down its inherent darkness. That would undoubtedly increase the fascination with her and has no doubt helped to fuel speculation as to her character. It is tempting to see this outbreak of sexual melancholia as stemming directly from the passions aroused by the dark lady. The extreme sexual pessimism may be viewed as a temporary aberration on the part of the poet, or as an essential element of his personality, or simply as an expression of the prevailing opinion of the time. It is of course very difficult to separate out culturally derived ideas from those which spring from an individual's personality, and this sonnet provides no exception to the rule.
Perhaps it is because it chimes so harmoniously with much that is repressive in traditional Christian sexual morality that it has been so popular. It gives essentially a phallo-centric view of sex, and its hatred of sexuality derives from the Christian imperative of the virginal life and the dislike of all bodily functions, a philosophy which finds few echoes in Eastern religions where sexuality is often gloriously celebrated. However readers from cultures other than the predominantly Western ones might find the sonnet puzzling. The profound hatred of sexuality does not occur within that context, where the passions expressed are undying and lofty, although often intermingled with sexual humour and puns.
#SONNET 129 SERIES#
In relation to the sonnet sequence as a whole, it is worth noting that nothing like this is found in the series to the young man.
#SONNET 129 TORRENT#
Particularly striking is the torrent of adjectives describing the build up of desire, and the imagery of the hooked fish which portrays the victim of lust as a frenzied animal expending its last vital energies in paroxysms of rage and futile struggle, even though it is inevitably doomed. One has to look back to the ancient Greek world, and to the plays of Euripides, especially The Bacchae and Hippolytus, to find an equivalent.
The folk wisdom of omne animal post coitum triste est, which is often quoted in connection with this sonnet, is banal in comparison to the ideas developed here. This, one of the most famous sonnets, explores the reaction of the human psyche to the promptings of sexual urges.