Sonnet 136 – Shakespeare

Shakespeare continues the bold wordplay on “will,” pleading to be accepted by the Dark Lady not as a rival, but as one more “Will” among many. He argues that since her will is broad and already welcomes others, she can easily include his without loss. The sonnet is both witty and desperate, turning sexual pun into a strained attempt to justify love in a world of divided desire.

Sonnet 136 – Read and Listen

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If thy soul check thee that I come so near,
Swear to thy blind soul that I was thy ‘Will,’
And will, thy soul knows, is admitted there;
Thus far for love my love-suit, sweet, fulfil.

‘Will’ will fulfil the treasure of thy love,
Ay, fill it full with wills, and my will one.
In things of great receipt with ease we prove
Among a number one is reckon’d none:

Then in the number let me pass untold,
Though in thy stores’ account I one must be;
For nothing hold me, so it please thee hold
That nothing me, a something sweet to thee:

Make but my name thy love, and love that still,
And then thou lovest me for my name is ‘Will.’

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Introduction to Sonnet 136

Sonnet 136 continues the provocative wordplay of Sonnet 135, pushing the pun on “will” to its limit. The speaker fears the Dark Lady may feel guilt or hesitation because he “comes so near.” In response, he proposes a verbal trick: let her swear to her “blind soul” that he was her “Will.” This transforms the problem of shame into a problem of language.

The sonnet exploits “will” in three overlapping senses: desire, sexual appetite, and the poet’s own name, Will Shakespeare. By turning himself into a word, the poet tries to remove jealousy and moral resistance. If “will” is already admitted in her, then his will can be admitted too. His argument is seductive but also strained, revealing the vulnerability beneath the cleverness.

A second strategy appears in the middle of the poem. Shakespeare claims that in “things of great receipt,” one addition is counted as none. If she already contains many wills, his single will will not matter as a burden. He asks to pass “untold,” included without being counted, absorbed into her abundance.

The third quatrain deepens the desperation. The poet offers to be treated as “nothing,” provided she will hold that nothing as something sweet. This paradox shows how far he has been pushed: he is willing to diminish himself in order to remain desired.

The couplet completes the linguistic seduction. If she loves his name—and his name is Will—then she loves him. Sonnet 136 is therefore comic in technique, but painful in implication: love becomes a plea for inclusion in a relationship already crowded with others.

Analysis — Sonnet 136

First Quatrain — The Soul’s Scruple and the Word “Will”

The first quatrain begins with a moral obstacle: her soul may check her because he comes too near. Shakespeare answers with a command to swear to her “blind soul,” as if conscience itself were confused and easily persuaded.

Calling himself her “Will” is both a joke and a strategy. If will is already admitted, then his love-suit can be fulfilled without scandal. The quatrain turns guilt into loophole: language becomes permission.

Second Quatrain — Filling Love with Wills

The second quatrain intensifies the wordplay. “Will” will fulfil the treasure of her love, filling it full with wills, and his will one. The repetition is intentionally excessive, mimicking the mistress’ overflowing appetite.

A cold logic follows: in great abundance, one is counted none. This is a cynical form of consolation. The poet does not demand exclusivity; he argues for being insignificant enough to be accepted.

Third Quatrain — Passing Untold, Becoming Nothing

In the third quatrain Shakespeare requests invisibility. Let him pass “untold” in the number, although he must still be one in her account. He wants presence without recognition, a place without title.

The paradox peaks in the lines about “nothing.” He asks her to hold him as nothing, if it pleases her to hold that nothing as something sweet. The lover offers self-erasure as devotion. Desire becomes submission.

Final Couplet — Loving the Name “Will”

The couplet delivers the poem’s final twist. Love his name, and love that still—and then she loves him, because his name is Will. The argument is clever but fragile, relying on wordplay for emotional survival.

This ending shows Shakespeare’s discomfort. When reality refuses to give security, language provides a substitute. The couplet closes the sonnet like a wink, yet the need underneath remains exposed.

Conclusion

Sonnet 136 turns erotic obsession into rhetorical performance. Shakespeare asks the Dark Lady to accept him by accepting “Will,” using pun as persuasion and desire as argument. Abundance becomes the excuse: if she already contains many wills, his will can be counted as none.

Behind the wit, a darker truth emerges. The poet offers to be untold, uncounted, even nothing—only to remain included. Love here is not triumphant; it is bargaining.

The final couplet seals the logic with a joke, but the sonnet’s emotional centre is serious. Sonnet 136 shows a lover willing to shrink himself into a word just to stay inside the beloved’s appetite.

Sonetto 136 – In Italiano ·
◀ Sonnet 135 · Sonnet 137 ▶

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