The Use Of Guilt In Shakespeare's Sonnet 35

Through the use of language and tone in Sonnet 35, Shakespeare demonstrates how guilt isn 't a one way path but a journey filled with ups and downs. Sonnet 35 shows this through specific vocabulary, changes in tone throughout the sonnet, and finally through the different types of language used throughout. Shakespeare 's sonnet 35 separates it 's self from all other sonnets in the striking manner that the speaker actually blames himself for forgiving his sinning lover and actually calls himself "an accomplice" to the crime. Sonnet 35 shows the irrational workings of guilt on the human mind and how it can devastate someone from the inside out. Though is has not been proven, it is believed that Shakespeare 's sonnets are all reflections of his …show more content…
We note the the sonnet starts with a command, backed up with confidence, and mostly free of guilt, “No more be griev 'd at that which thou hast done.” Here the speaker sound sure of it, he is telling his lover to stop grieving over their sins in a confident manner. This line resembles Shakespeare’s first stage of guilt. Here it hasn’t yet affected the speaker and he is in a confident state of mind. In line 5, “All men make faults, and even I in this” we notice a change in tone. Here the speaker shows more of a lack of confidence. He is now bringing himself down, the guilt is taming his confidence in an attempt to comfort his lover who has hurt him. This sense of demoralization progresses even further on line 7 “Myself corrupting, salving thy amiss,” at this point the speaker states that he is now damaging himself in an attempt to free his lover from her sins. At this point guilt is overtaking the character and in a way, making him almost self destruct. In line 11, “Myself corrupting, salving thy amiss” at this point in the sonnet the speaker admits to himself that he is hurting himself in attempt to free his lover from their sins. Completely immersed by guilt, the speaker in lines 13-14 states “I an áccessory needs must be, To that sweet thief which sourly robs from me.” In these two last lines we see the full effect of guilt and how it will make humans do things even …show more content…
Shakespeare uses two different types of language in sonnet 35, the first is Biblical terminology and the second is Legal terminology. I believe shakespeare used this to back in order to back up thoughts and emotions with something most can relate to. First we will analyze lines 5 through 8, where shakespeare uses biblical language to further more describe his guilt. In line 5, “All men make faults, and even I in this” can be tied back to the catholic ideology that everyone is born a sinner and there is nothing we can do to stop us for sinning. In line 6, “Authorizing thy trespass with compare” directly relates to a catholic prayer that states, “forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.” This perfectly fits into the sonnet by first stating that we all do wrong and second, that we should all forgive those who do wrong to us because we will eventually do wrong to them. In Lines 7-8, “Myself corrupting, salving thy amiss, Excusing thy sins more than thy sins are” Shakespeare carries the biblical theme by using the biblical word “sin” in line 8. The second type of language we will analyze is the legal terminology used in sonnet 35. In lines 9-14 Shakespeare almost creates a sense of being in a court room. Specifically in lines 10 and 11 “Thy adverse party is thy advocate, And 'gainst myself a