Poetry · Chapter
CXXXVI explained
The speaker pleads with the Dark Lady to accept him despite her conscience, arguing that his name 'Will' is common and can be admitted among many.
What happens
The speaker pleads with the Dark Lady to accept him despite her conscience, arguing that his name 'Will' is common and can be admitted among many. He asks to be counted as nothing if it pleases her, so long as she loves his name and thereby loves him.
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 speaker's plea is driven by love and desire, seeking physical and emotional union despite moral objections.
- Truth and Deception
The speaker urges the lady to deceive her own soul by swearing he was her 'Will,' highlighting the tension between truth and self-deception in love.
Characters to notice
- William Shakespeare
The speaker who identifies himself by the name 'Will' and argues for acceptance.
- Love
Personified as the force driving the speaker's suit.
Key passages
“If thy soul check thee that I come so near, Swear to thy blind soul that I was thy 'Will,'”
If your conscience rebukes you for letting me get so close, lie to your oblivious soul by claiming I am your 'Will.'
The speaker advises the lady to deceive her own conscience by using his name as a justification.
“Make but my name thy love, and love that still, And then thou lovest me, for my name is 'Will.'”
Just love my name and keep loving it, and then you will be loving me, because my name is 'Will.'
The speaker concludes that if she loves his name, she effectively loves him, since his identity is tied to that name.
