Sonnet 138: When my love swears that she is made of truth

“Sonnet 130” by William Shakespeare (1609)

“Sonnet 130” is one of Shakespeare’s most famous sonnets. It gives the reader an idea of why scholars call the unnamed woman in Shakespeare’s sonnets the Dark Lady. Like “Sonnet 138,” “Sonnet 130” presents an imperfect woman. The lines in “130” describe her dark hair, eyes, and skin. Her features contrast with the Eurocentric and colonial ideal of beauty—blond hair, blue eyes, and light skin with rosy cheeks. However, both sonnets include the word “lie” embedded in a longer word. In “Sonnet 138,” the word “lie” is contained in the word “believe” (Line 2). In “Sonnet 130,” the word “lie” is contained in the word “belied” (Line 14). This latter example is contained in a phrase about flattery: “belied with false compare” (Line 14). Both “Sonnet 130” and “Sonnet 138” discuss flattery.

“Sonnet 12” by William Shakespeare (1609)

This sonnet is part of the Fair Youth group of sonnets, in which the speaker addresses a male “you” or, in Renaissance English, “thou” (Line 10). It also discusses age. Both “Sonnet 12” and “Sonnet 138” look at the “past” (Line 3 and Line 6, respectively), implying that the years of youth are the best.