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Kadi Siegfried
Mrs. Garza
English II - PAP 7th
February 21st 2014
A Hopeless Romantic
William Shakespeare was a famous poet from the 1600's whose many literary works
revolved around love, death, tragedy and comedy. Being the creator of the Globe Theatre,
Shakespeare was also the author of many poems; specifically sonnets. Of all 126 sonnets written
by Shakespeare, sonnet 113 is one of his most controversial ones. In Sonnet 113: Since I Left
You, Mine Eye is in My Mind, Shakespeare expresses his infatuation and desire to be with a
young prince. The young prince mentioned in the sonnet is rumored to be William Herbert, Earl
of Pembroke, who assisted Shakespeare financially (Shakespeares Sonnets). However, some say
that the prince might not be William Herbert because titling an Earl master would be
considered inappropriate (Shakespeare's Sonnets). People speculate that Shakespeare wrote this
sonnet because of his separation from the prince, which is referenced to in previous works.
Shakespeare uses allusions, personification and symbolism throughout Sonnet 113 to express his
infatuation for Herbert.
There are a few possible reasons why Shakespeare might have decided to write this
sonnet. One possible reason is that Shakespeare may have written this due to his distance from
the prince or because of the friendship between the two companions. In lines one and thirteen,
Shakespeare expresses a distance he feels between himself and the young prince whom he would
often daydream about. Line one Since I left you and line thirteen Incapable of more, replete
with you lead one to believe that there was a separation somewhere in time between the two
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friends. Since that separation Shakespeare has been thinking of the youth constantly. (Oxquarry
Books Ltd.) Based on the way people wrote during Shakespeares time, some people speculate
that he was merely speaking of Herbert in a casual, platonic fashion (Shakespeare's Sonnets).
However, the question of whether or not Shakespeare was talking about the young prince in a
romantic way or not is still unknown.
Part of line one, Since I left you, addresses a departure that references a separation that
occurred between the two friends (Oxquarry Books Ltd,). Sonnet 113 alludes to Shakespeares
separation and distance from the prince in sonnets 50, 51, 97 and 98 (Shakespeares-sonnets, et
al). Sonnet 113 is considered an allusion because of all the references to other works that are
made in the sonnet. Rather than telling the reader upfront, Shakespeare uses an allusion to speak
of the distance between himself and the prince so he can focus more on his desire to reunite with
the young prince.
The people living in Shakespeares time were not properly acquainted with medical
science. Scientists in Shakespeares time believed that the human eye would catch or latch onto
moving objects. This corresponds directly to the eye being personified to catch, in line eight of
this sonnet. Shakespeare did not intentionally mean to personify the eye in this way; however, he
did personify the eye in another way. In multiple lines the eye is being referenced from a male
perspective. Throughout Sonnet 113, the use of the words it and his are constantly used as
substitutes to symbolize the eye (Shakespeares-sonnets). Shakespeare personifies the eye in lines
seven and eight by calling the eye a he giving the eye a gender (Shakespeares-sonnets). By
giving the eye a gender, Shakespeare is using his eye as the main perspective. The eye is a
symbol representing Shakespeares view of a fabricated reality based off his desire to reunite
with the prince.
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Shakespeare expresses extreme infatuation with the young prince and continuously shows
his fondness and devotion to him throughout the sonnet. Shakespeare is not only focused on his
affection towards William Herbert in Sonnet 113, he is also dedicated to his affection in most of
the other 126 sonnets as well. In Sonnet 113, Shakespeare is torn between his thoughts, desires,
and reality as the prince clouds his perspective on what is real and what is not. Although he is
aware that what he is seeing is an illusion, he is too deluded by his love to realize that
immediately. He does not care if what he sees is false, and feels that the world around him is
numb because of his thoughts (Shakespeare's Sonnets Summary and Analysis). Unfortunately,
Shakespeares true thoughts on the matter may never be known, and the controversy never
settled.













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Works Cited
Pressley, J.M. Shakespeares Biography. Bardweb. Shakespeare Resource Center. 2014. Web.
10 Feb. 2014.
Shakespeares Sonnets Summary and Analysis. Gradesaver. N.P., N.D. Web. 10 Feb. 2014.
Shakespeare, William. Sonnet 113: Since I left you, mine eye is in my mind. Poemhunter.
N.P., 2003, Web. 10 Feb. 2014.
Sonnet CXIII. Shakespeares-sonnets. Oxquarry Books Ltd. 2011. Web. 10 Feb. 2014.