Walter Philip Wadiak HL1002: Survey of English Literature 8 November 2011 Winnowing the Will in William It is challenging to contest the merits of the works of William Shakespeare; particularly his sought after publication of 154 sonnets. This publication epitomises both a mastery of form and an accuracy of portrayal. It has been subject to many a critic over time. Kathryn Schwarz, on the one hand, in her article Will in Overplus: Recasting Misogyny in Shakespeares Sonnets from ELH alleges that Shakespeares Sonnets deploy misogyny in a way that demystifies its totalizing claims (Schwarz 738.38-39). Patrick Cruttwell, on the other hand, in his article A Reading of the Sonnets from The Hudson Review alleges that Shakespeares sonnets are to be regarded as personal and closely autobiographical (Cruttwell 555.27) and as something outside his professional career (Cruttwell 555.39). He further elaborates that they convey anger and disillusion with the state of society, disgust with the whole business of love and sex (Cruttwell 555.21-23). Cruttwell also discusses the portrayal of the climate of Renaissance homosexual feeling within Shakespeares sonnets. The argument of this essay will parallel those of Cruttwell by examining one of Shakespeares sonnets in particular, Sonnet 135. Sonnet 135 of Shakespeares sonnets begins with the stanza Whoever hath her wish, thou hast thy Will (Shakespeare 1075.1). Shakespeare uses two words, namely wish (Shakespeare 1075.1) and Will (Shakespeare 1075.1) which are used synonymously within Teo 2
many contexts along with the assumption that the two words possess a shared definition. The structure of the first stanza of Sonnet 135 however, presents evidence that the two words, at least within the scope of this sonnet, do not possess a shared definition. More specifically, Shakespeares decision to create two distinct binaries, namely her wish (Shakespeare 1075.1) and thy Will (Shakespeare 1075.1) in writing the first stanza of Sonnet 135 presents evidence that the two words do not possess a shared definition. Applying the aforementioned assertion with regards to the words wish and will possessing distinctly different definitions, The Little Oxford Dictionary relevantly defines the word wish as desire or aspiration; request and the word will as the faculty by which one decides what to do. Schwarz too agrees with the arguement that the two words do not possess a shared definition in her assertion, Will is often taken as a synonym for intention, and often as a synonym for desire; yet intention and desire bear an uneasy relationship to one another, and the sonnet heightens that friction as it forces their convergence (Schwarz 737-738.30-33). Also of pertinence, is Shakespeares decision, to use a gendered prefix namely her (Shakespeare 1075.1) to the word wish, thereby enabling the assumption that the word thy (Shakespeare 1075.1) in reference to the other is distinctly male, in writing the first stanza of Sonnet 135. A close reading of the first stanza of Sonnet 135 presents an assertion stating that in spite of the existence of desire[s] or aspiration[s] of women, there inadvertently remains a faculty of choice for the man in question, as to whether or not to yield to those desires and aspirations. I argue that the first stanza of Sonnet 135, in presenting an assertion within which a gendered dichotomous model is utilized, exhibits a representation of the implicit social grammar of the contexts within which Shakespeare resided and also a critique of that social grammar. More specifically, the first stanza of Sonnet 135, represents the explicit advocacy within Shakespeares social contexts of heterosexual relationships, Teo 3
sexual intercourse of men with women, and aspirations towards married life, as opposed to bachelorhood and a homosexual life, the latter two being that which was condoned in Shakespeares juxtaposition of a faculty of choice and freedom against the desire or aspiration of the mainstream. The word will was also a denotation of carnal desire within Shakespearean contexts. Applying this definition of the word, will, Shakespeares decision to juxtapose the words thy Will (Shakespeare 1075.1) against the words her wish (Shakespeare 1075.1) in writing the first stanza of Sonnet 135 can be interpreted as further evidence of Shakespeares critique of married life and his justification of bachelorhood, sexual license and the embracement of sexual desire. Shakespeares description of the sexual desires of men existing in superfluous magnitudes in the second stanza of Sonnet 135, more specifically when he writes Will in overplus (Shakespeare 1075.2) can also be interpreted as further evidence of Shakespeares condonement of sexual license and the embracement of sexual desire. The word will possessed yet another denotation within Shakespearean contexts that is the sexual organs. The application of this definition of the word will in reading the fifth and sixth stanzas of Sonnet 135 presents an explicit description of sexual intercourse between men and possibly evidence of Shakespeares own homosexual tendencies. The question of Wilt thou, whose will is large and spacious, Not once vouchsafe to hide my will in thine? (Shakespeare 1075.5-6), whilst applying the aforementioned definition of the word will can be interpreted as a proposal by Shakespeare to his male lover who possesses an apparently large orifice to consider being on the receiving end of penetrative sexual intercourse justifying how the presence of a large orifice would enable the ease of such penetrative sexual intercourse or as a proposal by Shakespeare to his male lover to consider Teo 4
being on the receiving end of penetrative sexual intercourse, in spite of being endowed with a large penis, which is often associated with being on the giving end of penetrative sexual intercourse. The seventh, eighth, ninth and tenth stanzas of Sonnet 135 present further evidence of Shakespeares possibly homosexual tendencies. The question of Shall will in others seem right gracious, And in my will no fair acceptance shine? (Shakespeare 1075.7-8) can be interpreted as Shakespeares bemoaning of the impartial nature of the social grammar, mentioned earlier in this essay, of the contexts within which he resided, in allowing the public development of heterosexual unions eventually into marriages, as the words right gracious (Shakespeare 1075.7) and fair acceptance (Shakespeare 1075.8) seem to imply but disapproving of the public development of homosexual unions such as the one constituting of him and his lover and even failing to recognize or admit that such unions exist. The ninth and tenth stanzas of Sonnet 135 where Shakespeare writes, The sea, all water, yet receives rain still And in abundance addeth to his store can be interpreted allegorically as his lamentation of his lovers refusal to yield to his homosexual tendencies and in doing so to yield to him, but instead deciding to contribute to the already plentiful supply of heterosexual males, available to women, participating in their widely accepted heterosexual unions. In summary this essay has discussed and substantiated the argument that Sonnet 135 of Shakespeares sonnets represents the implicit social grammar of the contexts within which Shakespeare resided, more specifically one which explicitly advocated heterosexual relationships, sexual intercourse of men with women, and aspirations towards married life and also a critique of that social grammar in the condoning of bachelorhood and a homosexual life. It has done so by applying the various denotations of the word will, which Teo 5
is a material constituent of Sonnet 135, in interpreting the connotations of the stanzas in Sonnet 135 some of which include explicit descriptions of sexual intercourse between men on the one hand, and more emotional and confessional assertions to a male lover on the other. It is important to note however, that although an ample amount of evidence regarding same-sex unions, specifically between men and particularly involving himself, is presented within many of Shakespeares sonnets, enabling readers to make biographical inferences with regards to his sexual orientation; greater pertinence should be attributed to the accuracy and artistry with which the circumstances surrounding these unions are portrayed. Shakespeares sonnets stand testament to the old adage that some things never change and it is this knowledge of our predecessors having endured adversities similar to those which we endure within modernity, which enables an emancipation of sorts.
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Works Cited Cruttwell, Patrick. "A Reading of the Sonnets." The Hudson Review Winter 5.4 (1953): 554- 70. JSTOR. Web. 8 Nov. 2011. Schwarz, Kathryn. "Will in Overplus: Recasting Misogyny in Shakespeares Sonnets." Elh 75.3 (2008): 737-66. Project MUSE. Web. 8 Nov. 2011. Shakespeare, William. Sonnets. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. 8th. 1. Ed. Greenblatt, Stephen, M.H. Abrams, Carol T. Christ, Alfred David, Barbara K. Lewalski, Lawrence Lipking, George M. Logan, Deidre Shauna Lynch, Katherine Eisaman Maus, and James Noggle, Jahan Ramazani, Catherine Robson, James Simpson, Jon Stallworthy, Jack Stillinger, E. Talbot Donaldson, Hallett Smith, Robert M. Adams, Samuel Holt Monk, George H. Ford, David Daiches. New York, London: W. W. Norton & Company. 1075. Print.