Sonnet 143 – Shakespeare

Shakespeare compares the Dark Lady to a distracted mother who drops her child to chase a runaway. The image captures jealousy and abandonment: the speaker feels left behind while she pursues another lover. The sonnet turns domestic tenderness into erotic complaint, ending with a desperate request—if she catches what she seeks, she should return and comfort him.

Sonnet 143 – Read and Listen

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Lo, as a careful housewife runs to catch
One of her feather’d creatures broke away,
Sets down her babe and makes all swift dispatch
In pursuit of the thing she would have stay;

Whilst her neglected child holds her in chase,
Cries to catch her whose busy care is bent
To follow that which flies before her face,
Not prizing her poor infant’s discontent;

So runn’st thou after that which flies from thee,
Whilst I thy babe chase thee afar behind;
But if thou catch thy hope, turn back to me,
And play the mother’s part, kiss me, be kind:

So will I pray that thou mayst have thy Will,
If thou turn back and my loud crying still.

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Introduction to Sonnet 143

Sonnet 143 is one of the most vivid and domestic images in Shakespeare’s Dark Lady sequence. Instead of using courtly metaphors, Shakespeare draws a scene from ordinary life: a housewife chasing a runaway bird. In her haste she sets down her baby, leaving the child neglected while she pursues what escapes her.

The analogy becomes painful. The abandoned infant cries and follows after the mother, trying to catch her attention. Yet her “busy care” is fixed on the creature that flies before her face. The mother does not prize the child’s discontent because desire has captured her focus. In this everyday scene Shakespeare finds a perfect image for jealousy.

In the third quatrain the metaphor becomes explicit. The Dark Lady runs after someone who flies from her—likely another lover—while the speaker, like the infant, chases after her behind. His complaint is not only sexual; it is emotional abandonment. He wants tenderness, protection, and recognition, not merely physical possession.

The ending turns into plea and bargain. If she catches what she hopes for, she should turn back to him, play the mother’s part, kiss him, and be kind. The couplet repeats the pun on “Will”: he will pray she may have her Will, but only if she returns and quiets his loud crying. Sonnet 143 therefore blends tenderness and bitterness, showing desire as a force that makes love feel like childhood neglect.

Analysis — Sonnet 143

First Quatrain — The Housewife and the Runaway Bird

The first quatrain sets the scene. A careful housewife runs to catch a feathered creature that has broken away. She sets down her baby and hurries after what she wants to keep.

This image introduces urgency and distraction. The household, the child, and responsibility are momentarily abandoned for pursuit. Shakespeare chooses this domestic setting to make desire look ordinary, instinctive, and cruelly careless.

Second Quatrain — The Neglected Child

The second quatrain emphasizes abandonment. The child holds the mother in chase, crying for attention. Yet her care is bent on the fleeing creature, and she does not prize the infant’s discontent.

The neglected babe becomes the emotional centre: it represents innocent need ignored by obsession. In love, the poet suggests, passion makes the beloved indifferent to the one who depends on her.

Third Quatrain — The Lover as Babe

In the third quatrain Shakespeare applies the image. The Dark Lady runs after what flies from her. Meanwhile the poet, her “babe,” chases her behind.

The metaphor is humiliating but effective. The lover becomes infantile in dependence. Love reduces him to crying, chasing, begging for comfort. Still, the quatrain offers hope: if she catches her desire, she may return to him.

Final Couplet — A Bargain: Will for Kindness

The couplet repeats the pun. Here the poet will pray she may have her Will—her desire fulfilled—if she turns back and stops his loud crying.

The ending is both comic and desperate. It shows the speaker accepting her pursuit of others, provided she returns to soothe him. Jealousy becomes a bargain rather than a demand for fidelity.

Conclusion

Sonnet 143 transforms jealousy into a striking domestic allegory. Shakespeare compares the Dark Lady to a distracted mother who drops her child to chase a runaway bird. The image captures abandonment: the speaker is left behind crying while she pursues another love.

By casting himself as the neglected babe, Shakespeare reveals the humiliating dependence of desire. The lover is not a noble courtier; he is an abandoned child chasing after affection. Yet the poem ends with a plea for tenderness. If she wins what she seeks, she should return, kiss him, and be kind.

In the couplet Shakespeare turns devotion into bargain. He will pray that she may have her Will, but only if she returns to silence his crying. Sonnet 143 thus blends tenderness, irony, and pain—showing how love can feel like being left behind.

Sonetto 143 – In Italiano ·
◀ Sonnet 142 · Sonnet 144 ▶

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