Sonnet 139: O, Call Not Me to Justify the Wrong
Sonnet 139: O, Call Not Me to Justify the Wrong - meaning Summary
Plea Against Deceptive Cruelty
The speaker addresses a beloved whose indirect cruelty wounds him more than open rejection would. He refuses to defend himself against vague accusations and asks for honesty: either speak plainly or strike him with an obvious look, but do not inflict subtle, lingering pain. He concedes that her beauty has been his enemy and prefers a single, clear hurt to prolonged, cunning suffering.
Read Complete AnalysesO, call not me to justify the wrong That thy unkindness lays upon my heart Wound me not with thine eye but with thy tongue; Use power with power, and slay me not by art. Tell me thou lov’st elsewhere, but in my sight, Dear heart forbear to glance thine eye aside; What need’st thou wound with cunning when thy might Is more than my o’erpressed defence can bide? Let me excuse thee: Ah, my love well knows, Her pretty looks have been mine enemies, And therefore from my face she turns my foes, That they elsewhere might dart their injuries. Yet do not so; but since I am near slain, Kill me outright with looks and rid my pain.
Feel free to be first to leave comment.