Sonnet 136

Song Meaning

This sonnet grapples with the speaker's desperate plea to be admitted into the beloved's presence, even if it means being insignificant. The narrator suggests a clever, almost manipulative, linguistic maneuver: if the beloved's conscience objects to the speaker's closeness, the beloved should claim the speaker is merely "Will." This "Will" is presented as an accepted entity, a placeholder that "will" fulfill the "treasure of thy love." The core of the argument hinges on the ambiguity of the word "will," which can mean desire, intention, or even the speaker's own name. The central tension arises from the speaker's desire for genuine connection versus the proposed method of gaining access, which involves a kind of self-effacement. The narrator argues that by being counted as "nothing" within the "number" of the beloved's affections, they can still be "one" in a significant way. This is a precarious position, seeking to be both overlooked and essential, a paradox designed to bypass the beloved's potential objections. The most striking craft element is the relentless wordplay on "will." The lyrics repeatedly invoke "will" as desire, as the speaker's intention, and crucially, as the speaker's name. This linguistic trickery allows the speaker to argue that if the beloved loves "my name," they are, by extension, loving the speaker. The sonnet proposes that by reducing the speaker to a mere name, a concept, or a generic desire, the beloved can accept them without true intimacy, yet still fulfill the act of loving. This intricate wordplay makes the sonnet effective by highlighting the speaker's profound yearning and the lengths they will go to maintain a connection, however tenuous. The final lines offer a resolution that is both ingenious and slightly heartbreaking: the beloved can love the speaker by simply loving the name "Will," thereby loving the speaker without fully embracing them. It’s a testament to the power of language to both obscure and reveal the depth of affection.