Analysis of Sonnet 48: How careful was I, when I took my way
William Shakespeare 1564 (Stratford-upon-Avon) – 1616 (Stratford-upon-Avon)
How careful was I, when I took my way,
Each trifle under truest bars to thrust,
That to my use it might unusèd stay
From hands of falsehood, in sure wards of trust!
But thou, to whom my jewels trifles are,
Most worthy comfort, now my greatest grief,
Thou best of dearest, and mine only care,
Art left the prey of every vulgar thief.
Thee have I not locked up in any chest,
Save where thou art not—though I feel thou art—
Within the gentle closure of my breast,
From whence at pleasure thou mayst come and part;
And even thence thou wilt be stol'n, I fear,
For truth proves thievish for a prize so dear.
Scheme | ABABCDEDFGFGHH |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 1101111111 1101010111 111111111 111101111 1111110101 1101011101 1111001101 11011100101 1111110101 1111111111 0101010111 1111011101 01011111111 111110111 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 610 |
Words | 118 |
Sentences | 4 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 14 |
Lines Amount | 14 |
Letters per line (avg) | 33 |
Words per line (avg) | 8 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 465 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 116 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 35 sec read
- 126 Views
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"Sonnet 48: How careful was I, when I took my way" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 1 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/41496/sonnet-48%3A-how-careful-was-i%2C-when-i-took-my-way>.
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