The strength of emotion in Sonnet XXIII effects the poets ability to express his love; therefore, he trusts his poetry–the written word (or possibly the silent language of the body)–to express love more effectively than his tongue. The strength of the poets emotion is expressed in his fear (I, for fear of trust) exemplified in the lack of trust in himself and in his beloved. Knowing that perfection is difficult or impossible to achieve he attempts and forgets to say The perfect ceremony of love’s rite.
However, the poet confirms his love in ubduing the negative emotion of fear by trusting his beloved to “learn to read what silent love hath writ, The first quatrain confirms the impact of strong emotion on effective action. The poet, Who with his fear is put besides his part, can no longer express himself through his art (heart) due to the emotional inhibitions caused by his fear (rage). However, the poets emotional strengths abundance weakens his own heart (confusion with art, according to booth; see pg170 note on sonnet 23.
Art could have been seen as a deceptive orce, such as acting or pretending), exemplified in the unperfect actor, causing the negation of any thoughts his beloved might have entertained concerning the poets ability to feign love. The next quatrain expresses the poets fear of trust and its effect on his ability to communicate. The poet talks about forget[ing] to say The perfect ceremony of love rite, And in [his] own loves strength seem to decay, demonstrating his inability to express or communicate his love when weakened by loves strength.
Oercharged with the burden of ine own loves might, as does decay, symbolizes how fear inhibits the poet from expressing his love properly (the perfect ceremony of love rite). What is missing in the poet Why would the poet be afraid to verbalize love The poet lacks trust in himself, his beloved, and in his ability to communicate caused by the fear of possible rejection. The last quatrain acts as the poets hope in expressing his love via the written word (or possibly through body language), O, let [his] books be then the eloquence.
The poet sks his beloved to read the words he writes with more eloquence than his tongue and know his love for true, More than that tongue that more hath more expressed. The written world confirms the poets love through expression, but also alludes to earlier sonnets regarding the idea of love shall in my verse ever live young (sonnet 19. 13). The word books in the above passage has been amended by many critics to the word looks.. Utilizing this type of play on words gives the last quatrain a sexual undertone preceded by some fierce thing replete with rage (lust).
Look could connect the idea of reading the love, not only in the written word, but also in the eyes, the breast, and body. hear[ing] with the eyes belong[ing] to loves fine wit. gives some more unstable evidence to support the idea of reading what silent love has writ as body language. However, this hypothesis has not yet been proved and can not be argued as so. The couplet confirms the poets hope of his beloved learn[ing] to read what silent love has writ. To hear with the eyes figuratively and literally means to hear what is ritten in the poets words, see what is conveyed in their meaning.
It is a part of loves fine wit. The strength of the poets emotion, trust rather than fear, assisted in the poets ability to express his love, if not through the ability of his tongue, then through the true words of his poetry. Fear began has an impediment but through its negative force, the poet found an alternative means to express his love, and through trust, found hope in his beloveds ability to learn what silent love hath writ. The spoken word will be forgotten, but the written word defeats the enemy of time.
