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Sonnet 100

The poet chides his Muse for abandoning him, demanding she return and justify her long silence.

Original
Modern
1 Where art thou Muse that thou forget’st so long,
The direct address that opens the Muse sequence, establishing the poet's anxious dependence.
Where art thou, Muse, that thou forget'st so long,
Wordplay

The archaic second-person singular reinforces the Muse's apartness and the poet's supplication. Her forgetting is a betrayal of duty.

2 To speak of that which gives thee all thy might?
To speak of that which gives thee all thy might?
3 Spend’st thou thy fury on some worthless song,
Spend'st thou thy fury on some worthless song,
4 Darkening thy power to lend base subjects light?
Darkening thy power to lend base subjects light?
5 Return forgetful Muse, and straight redeem,
Return, forgetful Muse, and straight redeem,
6 In gentle numbers time so idly spent,
In gentle numbers time so idly spent;
7 Sing to the ear that doth thy lays esteem,
Sing to the ear that doth thy lays esteem,
8 And gives thy pen both skill and argument.
And gives thy pen both skill and argument.
Volta The shift moves from accusation to plea. The poet stops demanding explanation and begins begging the Muse to 'employ' her power on his behalf, turning complaint into supplication.
9 Rise resty Muse, my love’s sweet face survey,
Rise, resty Muse; my love's sweet face survey,
10 If time have any wrinkle graven there,
If Time have any wrinkle graven there;
11 If any, be a satire to decay,
If any, be a satirist and say,
12 And make time’s spoils despised everywhere.
His beauty shall in these black lines be ever.
13 Give my love fame faster than Time wastes life,
If thou survive my well-contented day,
14 So thou prevent’st his scythe, and crooked knife.
When that churl Death my bones with dust shall cover.
The Muse as Absent Other

The Muse, traditionally a source of inspiration, is accused of willful neglect and abandonment. By Sonnet 100, we enter the Muse-address sequence (100-106) where the beloved is momentarily displaced by the poet's anxiety about his own creative capacity. The Muse's silence suggests either that the poet has nothing worth inspiring, or that he has somehow displeased her. This anxiety about worthiness and judgment reflects the entire sequence's recurring theme.

Self-Reflexivity and Performance

The sonnet demonstrates a crucial paradox: by complaining about the Muse's absence, the poet reveals her presence. Every well-crafted line is proof that inspiration hasn't entirely fled. Shakespeare demonstrates awareness of this paradox—the sonnet is simultaneously complaint and evidence of continuing creative power. This reflexive quality complicates the complaint's emotional sincerity, suggesting the poet both does and doesn't believe his own words.

If this happened today

Like a writer texting their therapist, 'Why have you been ignoring me?'—while simultaneously demonstrating they can write coherently. The complaint proves the thing complained about isn't entirely true, yet the emotional reality of disconnection remains valid.

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