"Sonnet 141" is one of the 154 poems collected as Shakespeare's Sonnets (first published in 1609). It bears some resemblance to the more famous "Sonnet 130 (My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun)." As in that poem, the speaker criticizes a woman whom he claims to love, stressing her lack of conventional beauty and charm while insisting that his "heart" belongs to her anyway. Here, however, his criticism, passion, and self-loathing are even more vehement: he claims that his "heart [...] loves what [his eyes] despise," and presents himself as helplessly under her power despite his usual tastes and better judgment. The poem depicts love as bittersweet and deeply irrational, suggesting that when the heart conflicts with the mind—and even the senses—the result is a complex tangle of pleasure and pain.
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The Full Text of “Sonnet 141: In faith, I do not love thee with mine eyes”
1In faith, I do not love thee with mine eyes,
2For they in thee a thousand errors note;
3But 'tis my heart that loves what they despise,
4Who, in despite of view, is pleased to dote;
5Nor are mine ears with thy tongue's tune delighted,
6Nor tender feeling, to base touches prone,
7Nor taste, nor smell, desire to be invited
8To any sensual feast with thee alone:
9But my five wits nor my five senses can
10Dissuade one foolish heart from serving thee,
11Who leaves unswayed the likeness of a man,
12Thy proud heart's slave and vassal wretch to be.
13Only my plague thus far I count my gain,
14That she that makes me sin awards me pain.
The Full Text of “Sonnet 141: In faith, I do not love thee with mine eyes”
1In faith, I do not love thee with mine eyes,
2For they in thee a thousand errors note;
3But 'tis my heart that loves what they despise,
4Who, in despite of view, is pleased to dote;
5Nor are mine ears with thy tongue's tune delighted,
6Nor tender feeling, to base touches prone,
7Nor taste, nor smell, desire to be invited
8To any sensual feast with thee alone:
9But my five wits nor my five senses can
10Dissuade one foolish heart from serving thee,
11Who leaves unswayed the likeness of a man,
12Thy proud heart's slave and vassal wretch to be.
13Only my plague thus far I count my gain,
14That she that makes me sin awards me pain.
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“Sonnet 141: In faith, I do not love thee with mine eyes” Summary
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“Sonnet 141: In faith, I do not love thee with mine eyes” Themes
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The Irrationality of Love
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Pleasure, Pain, and Submission
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Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “Sonnet 141: In faith, I do not love thee with mine eyes”
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Lines 1-4
In faith, I do not love thee with mine eyes,
For they in thee a thousand errors note;
But 'tis my heart that loves what they despise,
Who, in despite of view, is pleased to dote; -
Lines 5-8
Nor are mine ears with thy tongue's tune delighted,
Nor tender feeling, to base touches prone,
Nor taste, nor smell, desire to be invited
To any sensual feast with thee alone: -
Lines 9-12
But my five wits nor my five senses can
Dissuade one foolish heart from serving thee,
Who leaves unswayed the likeness of a man,
Thy proud heart's slave and vassal wretch to be. -
Lines 13-14
Only my plague thus far I count my gain,
That she that makes me sin awards me pain.
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“Sonnet 141: In faith, I do not love thee with mine eyes” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language
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Repetition
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Metaphor
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Alliteration
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Personification
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Irony
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“Sonnet 141: In faith, I do not love thee with mine eyes” Vocabulary
Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.
- In faith
- Thee
- Mine
- 'Tis
- In despite of
- View
- Dote
- Thy
- Tongue's tune
- Base
- Prone
- Desire
- Sensual feast
- Five wits
- Dissuade
- Unswayed
- Likeness
- Slave
- Vassal wretch
- Plague
- She
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Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “Sonnet 141: In faith, I do not love thee with mine eyes”
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Form
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Meter
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Rhyme Scheme
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“Sonnet 141: In faith, I do not love thee with mine eyes” Speaker
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“Sonnet 141: In faith, I do not love thee with mine eyes” Setting
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Literary and Historical Context of “Sonnet 141: In faith, I do not love thee with mine eyes”
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More “Sonnet 141: In faith, I do not love thee with mine eyes” Resources
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External Resources
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The Sonnet Aloud — Listen to actor Patrick Stewart recite the poem (with some help from his dog).
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The Life of William Shakespeare — Watch an A&E documentary about the world's most famous playwright and poet.
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The Bard's Life and Work — Read a brief biography of Shakespeare at the Poetry Foundation.
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Introduction to the Sonnets — An introduction to Shakespeare's sequence of 154 sonnets, courtesy of the Folger Shakespeare Library.
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The Sonnets at the British Library — View the British Library's first edition of Shakespeare's Sonnets and read a brief introduction to the volume.
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LitCharts on Other Poems by William Shakespeare
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