Analysis of Sonnet 119: What potions have I drunk of Siren tears

William Shakespeare 1564 (Stratford-upon-Avon) – 1616 (Stratford-upon-Avon)



What potions have I drunk of Siren tears,
Distilled from limbecks foul as hell within,
Applying fears to hopes, and hopes to fears,
Still losing when I saw my self to win!
What wretched errors hath my heart committed,
Whilst it hath thought it self so blessèd never!
How have mine eyes out of their spheres been fitted
In the distraction of this madding fever!
O, benefit of ill, now I find true
That better is, by evil still made better;
And ruined love, when it is built anew,
Grows fairer than at first, more strong, far greater.
    So I return rebuked to my content,
    And gain by ills thrice more than I have spent.


Scheme ABCBDEDEFEFEGG
Poetic Form
Metre 1101111101 011111101 0101110111 1101111111 11010111010 11111111110 11111111110 00010111010 1100111111 11011101110 0101111101 11011111110 1101011110 0111111111
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 619
Words 117
Sentences 6
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 14
Lines Amount 14
Letters per line (avg) 34
Words per line (avg) 8
Letters per stanza (avg) 481
Words per stanza (avg) 115
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 19, 2023

35 sec read
202

William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare was an English playwright, poet, and actor, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's greatest dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon". more…

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