Shakespeare's Sonnets, Sonnet 147 summary
Sonnet 147 of 154 · 1 min to read the scene
In Sonnet 147, the speaker compares love to an illness that desire keeps feeding, while reason abandons its attempt to provide treatment. The speaker describes madness and restless suffering, then admits that declarations of the beloved’s beauty and radiance conflict with a dark judgment of the beloved.
What happens
- The speaker compares love to a fever that feeds on whatever prolongs its sickness.
- Reason acts as a doctor but leaves because the speaker ignores its treatment.
- The speaker connects desire with death and describes an incurable state of madness and unrest.
- The speaker admits that thoughts and speech stray from truth, including praise of the beloved’s appearance.
Free for 3 months
Get the full summary of Shakespeare's Sonnets, free
- 200,000+ classics as eBooks, audiobooks and 15-minute summaries, and print and large print at cost
- Up to 5 readers in your home on one plan
Start freeNothing to pay today. USD 0.14 a day in the first year, then USD 0.27 a day.
In this scene
What to notice
The speaker recognizes that desire disrupts both thinking and speech. This prepares the admission that praise of the beloved is false.
Quick check
Why does Reason abandon the speaker?
Free for 3 months
Get the full summary of Shakespeare's Sonnets, free
- 200,000+ classics as eBooks, audiobooks and 15-minute summaries, and print and large print at cost
- Up to 5 readers in your home on one plan
Start freeNothing to pay today. USD 0.14 a day in the first year, then USD 0.27 a day.
200,000+ classics to read, hear and hold
15-minute summaries today, eBooks and audiobooks as each book opens, and printed books, large print included, at cost.
Try 3 months free
