Analysis of Sonnet 42: That thou hast her, it is not all my grief

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



That thou hast her, it is not all my grief,
And yet it may be said I loved her dearly;
That she hath thee is of my wailing chief,
A loss in love that touches me more nearly.
Loving offenders, thus I will excuse ye:
Thou dost love her because thou know'st I love her,
And for my sake even so doth she abuse me,
Suff'ring my friend for my sake to approve her.
If I lose thee, my loss is my love's gain,
And, losing her, my friend hath found that loss;
Both find each other, and I lose both twain,
And both for my sake lay on me this cross.
    But here's the joy: my friend and I are one,
    Sweet flattery! Then she loves but me alone.


Scheme ABABBCBCDEDEFG
Poetic Form
Metre 1110111111 01111111010 1111111101 01011101110 10010111011 111001111110 011110111011 1111111010 1111111111 0100111111 1111001111 0111111111 1101110111 11001111101
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 630
Words 132
Sentences 6
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 14
Lines Amount 14
Letters per line (avg) 34
Words per line (avg) 9
Letters per stanza (avg) 472
Words per stanza (avg) 130
Font size:
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

40 sec read
113

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…

All William Shakespeare poems | William Shakespeare Books

44 fans

Discuss this William Shakespeare poem analysis with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "Sonnet 42: That thou hast her, it is not all my grief" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 27 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/41490/sonnet-42%3A-that-thou-hast-her%2C-it-is-not-all-my-grief>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    April 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    3
    days
    10
    hours
    3
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    "Lady, make a note of this: One of you is lying."
    A May Sarton
    B Bill Collins
    C Dorothy Parker
    D Ogden Nash