Poetry · Chapter
Sonnet CXXXII explained
The poet praises his beloved's dark eyes, which seem to pity him by wearing black mourning for his pain.
What happens
The poet praises his beloved's dark eyes, which seem to pity him by wearing black mourning for his pain. He compares their beauty to the morning sun and the evening star, arguing that mourning suits the beloved's face and heart. He concludes by swearing that beauty itself is black and that all others are foul for lacking the beloved's complexion.
Free preview opens on this chapter — companions, themes, and character notes appear beside the text.
Narrative arc
Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Rising action.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
This is the dramatic climax because the speaker reaches an emotional and psychological peak of self-aware torm…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingThemes in this chapter
- Love and Desire
The poet's love is expressed through his admiration of the beloved's eyes and his plea for pity.
- Truth and Deception
The poet redefines beauty, swearing that black is beautiful and that others are foul for lacking it, challenging conventional standards.
Characters to notice
- Love
The beloved whose eyes are described as pitying the poet.
Key passages
“Thine eyes I love, and they, as pitying me, Knowing thy heart torment me with disdain, Have put on black and loving mourners be, Looking with pretty ruth upon my pain.”
I love your eyes, and they, as if they pity me because they know your heart torments me with scorn, have dressed in black and become loving mourners, looking with gentle compassion upon my suffering.
The poet personifies the beloved's eyes as sympathetic mourners for his pain.
“Then will I swear beauty herself is black And all they foul that thy complexion lack.”
Then I will swear that beauty itself is black, and that everyone else is ugly who does not have your dark complexion.
The poet declares that the beloved's dark coloring is the true standard of beauty.
