Question

Sonnet 116
by William Shakespeare

Let me not to the marriage of true minds

Admit impediments; love is not love

Which alters when it alteration finds,

Or bends with the remover to remove.

O no, it is an ever-fixed mark

That looks on tempests and is never shaken;

It is the star to every wandering bark,

Whose worth’s unknown, although his height be taken.

Love’s not Time’s fool, though rosy lips and cheeks

Within his bending sickle’s compass come;

Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,

But bears it out even to the edge of doom.

If this be error and upon me proved,

I never writ, nor no man ever loved.




"Sonnet 116" by William Shakespeare

Question
Use the poem to answer the question.

Which of the following statements accurately explain how the structure of Shakespeare’s Sonnet 116 supports its central message? Choose all that apply.

(1 point)
Responses

The consistent iambic pentameter throughout the sonnet reflects the steady and unwavering nature of true love.
The consistent iambic pentameter throughout the sonnet reflects the steady and unwavering nature of true love.

The poem’s lack of a rhyme scheme reinforces the idea that love is unpredictable and inconsistent.
The poem’s lack of a rhyme scheme reinforces the idea that love is unpredictable and inconsistent.

The poem’s structure includes two separate narrative voices debating the meaning of love.
The poem’s structure includes two separate narrative voices debating the meaning of love.

The final rhyming couplet serves as a bold conclusion, where Shakespeare declares that his definition of love is undeniably true if his writing itself has authority.
The final rhyming couplet serves as a bold conclusion, where Shakespeare declares that his definition of love is undeniably true if his writing itself has authority.

The three quatrains each develop a different quality of true love, helping Shakespeare build a logical, step-by-step argument.

Answer 1

Correct answers: 1, 4, and 5.

Brief reasons:
- 1 is correct: the regular iambic pentameter mirrors the poem’s theme of steadiness and constancy in true love.
- 4 is correct: the closing couplet delivers a forceful, conclusive statement that seals the poet’s definition of love.
- 5 is correct: each quatrain develops a different aspect of true love (what it is not; metaphors of constancy and guidance; immunity to Time), building a logical argument.

The other two are incorrect: the sonnet does have a rhyme scheme (ABAB CDCD EFEF GG), and it is voiced by a single speaker rather than two distinct voices.