Analysis of Sonnet 43: When most I wink, then do mine eyes best see
William Shakespeare 1564 (Stratford-upon-Avon) – 1616 (Stratford-upon-Avon)
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,
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,
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.
Scheme | ABABBCBCBBBBAA |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 1111111111 11011111 1111011111 01011101010 11111111 111111101 1011111101 11111111 1111111111 1101100101 1011110101 110111111 1111111111 0111111111 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 646 |
Words | 124 |
Sentences | 5 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 14 |
Lines Amount | 14 |
Letters per line (avg) | 36 |
Words per line (avg) | 9 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 500 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 122 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 14, 2023
- 37 sec read
- 138 Views
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"Sonnet 43: When most I wink, then do mine eyes best see" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/41491/sonnet-43%3A-when-most-i-wink%2C-then-do-mine-eyes-best-see>.
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