Greeenblatt also points out that to truly grasp the meaning of the poem and the transience alluded to therein, readers must consider the social code for homosexual love. The Church did not tolerate sodomy and it would make sense that men would be attracted to other men considering how women were often treated as lower-class citizens. Through this "seesaw game of acknowledgment and denial" (253), Shakespeare "stages his sexual desire for the young man" (253). This poem encapsulates the bittersweet emotions often experienced in May-December or otherwise difficult romances.

In "Sonnet 116," we see a different side of love, which seems to influence the poet's attitude toward life as well. The poet uses metaphors to discuss love. He tells readers from the very beginning that love is a "marriage of true minds" (Shakespeare Sonnet 116-1). The term "ever-fixed mark" (5) explains how love is a metaphor for a navigation tool,...
[ View Full Essay]