A Sonnet To A Past Loved One

It is believed that in Sonnet 55, the speaker is seeking to build a metaphoric monument dedicated to his beloved, the fair lord. It seems that the character of the fair lord reoccurs throughout some of Shakespeare’s sonnets. I find it interesting that the ‘fair lord’ is not described or revealed throughout this sonnet as it leaves a mysterious tone and allows the reader to assume which characteristics he obtains. The poet says, “you live in this, and dwell in lovers’ eyes (Line 14),” which may show that it doesn’t matter exactly how he is described because he is inhabited in the eyes of those who loves him- especially the writer in this case. Another interesting thought is that the reference to Judgment day (Line 13), may propose that the fair lord’s identity will be revealed as one must be themselves and pure when God is deciding if one can enter heaven.

After having the opportunity of visiting Shakespeare’s house a few years ago, I remember learning that his son died at an early age. It is said that Hamnet’s death had an effect on Shakespeare’s tone in his writing. So, because of that I wanted to bring up the possibility of this Sonnet being about Hamnet’s death, rather than the ‘fair lord’. There are certain pieces throughout the sonnet that demonstrates this idea. To start off, the “gilded monument” that he is writing about in Line 1 can be referring to a memorial being build for Hamnet. Another one in particular was  “You shall shine more bright (Line 3).” When thinking about what shine bright, the sun comes into mind- sun/son. The homophones of son and sun allow the reader to think that Shakespeare’s son will shine on in people’s hearts after his death.

It is also evident that immortality is a huge part of Shakespeare’s sonnets. Throughout his pieces he depicts the negative effects of time- the inevitable effects on beauty. For example, he talks about how he does not want his beloved to develop features such as wrinkles or grow gray hair. Throughout Sonnet 55 Shakespeare refers to the word “live” and words that include “live” in them, for example “outlive (line 2)”, “living record (line 8)”, “oblivious (line 9)”, and “you live in this (line 14).” This reoccurring word can mean different things such as living in an afterlife, living in a memory, or his desire to have his son be alive again.

When making an opinion on whom you think the sonnet is about- Hamnet or ‘fair lord’ one may think about how intimately it is written. It seems like it can go either way. Shakespeare was very close with his son, so it is understandable that he would want a golden monument for him in his honor. But on the other hand, the reader has had previous experience with the fair lord as he is mentioned throughout other sonnets. I like how Shakespeare has left it open for interpretation- we’ll probably never get a definite answer, and I am sure that people who will be re-reading all of these sonnets in the present and in the future, new ideas will come into mind and the cycle will continue.