Shakespeare’s Sonnet 22 consists of a speaker addressing their beloved on the topic of love, age, and death. The speaker explains how the two had exchanged their hearts to one another. Because of this exchange, the speaker also declares the both of them are as one. This means that they are the same age. The speaker will know “..when in thee time’s furrows I behold/Then look I death my days should expiate,” (3-4). Thus, the speaker claims that when the beloved dies, he will also die along with him/her and vice versa. It is true that throughout the three quatrains, Shakespeare’s sonnet does portray the undying love which the speaker’s holds for the beloved. However, once we reach the ending couplet, it appears that the speaker’s love is not as innocent as the reader might have previously thought.
While the speaker does adore the beloved, his love should be classified as an obsession. In the couplet of Sonnet 22, the speaker reveals that he will keep his beloved’s heart forever. The speaker explains to the beloved that “...thou gav’st me thine, not to give back again,” (14). So, if the beloved brakes the speaker’s heart in his/her possession, then the beloved should not expect that the speaker will just his/her heart back. Ultimately, this means that the speaker will never stop loving the beloved even if the beloved stops loving him in return. Also, it is pretty clear that this just isn’t an declaration of love to the extreme; both the tone and word choice of the couplet makes it obvious that this statement should almost be seen as a threat. The ending couplet proves that an seemingly loving relationship could be quite unhealthy.
Within this sonnet, Jen Bervin had highlighted certain words to create her own mini poem from Shakespeare’s Sonnet 22: “I am of one date in time’s furrows.” To me, it can be a little bit difficult to decipher how Bervin’s combination of words relate back to Shakespeare’s original ones. Though, if read by itself, it is clear that Bervin’s speaker feels quite depressed and insignificant. He/she is expressing how in the overall grand scheme of things throughout time and space, one person--like the speaker--does not make a difference. It is as if the speaker does not believe that he or she will ever make a noteworthy mark on this world. Though, back to relating Bervin’s words to Shakespeare’s sonnet, both of the works kind of contradict each other. While Shakespeare’s speaker believes he is worthy enough to hold another’s heart, Bervin’s speaker seems to not even be able to hold their own. Other than this similarity between the two speakers, I honestly have no idea on how the content of these works connect (other than the obvious reason). I would love to know what was going on in Bervin’s head when she highlighted those particular words in Shakespeare’s Sonnet 22 to see if there had been a method to the madness.