At the end of Sonnet 65, Shakespeare writes “… unless this miracle have might/ That in black ink my love may still shine bright”. Shakespeare is asking the question of how, in a world of such ceaseless destructiveness, can evanescent beauty, human goodness, be preserved. How is his answer in this sonnet similar to the answer that he gives in The Tempest?
To me, Shakespeare often reminds his audience of the fleeting nature of human existence. His plays repeatedly remind the audience that regardless of whether a person is in the court or a forest, on an Island or in a ship; nothing lasts forever. At the end of Sonnet 65, when Shakespeare writes “… unless this miracle have might/ That in black ink my love may still shine bright”(13-14), he is again reminding his audience of their mortality. He is also highlighting the fact that not everyone will be remembered, or leave a legacy. This is evident when he refers to the possibility of his writing in “black ink” (13) cheating time, as a “miracle” (13). It seems that he was well aware of a possible reality, where his life’s work, might not mean anything in a future without his presence. This sentiment is echoed in Act IV Scene I in The Tempest when Prospero reduces air “into thin air” (4.1:150) and dissolves the buildings that are important to people at that point in time (4.1:151-154). Prospero further emphasises his point when he says “We are such stuff As dreams are made on, and our little life Is rounded with a sleep.” (4.1:156-158). Using dreams as a metaphor for life is absolute genius. He is essentially highlighting the existence of a dream to the dreamer when they are dreaming. However when they are awake, the dream no longer exists. It was a fleeting moment- just like life.
Works Cited
Greenblatt, Steven et. al. The Norton Shakespeare: Based on the Oxford Edition.2nd ed. New York: Norton, 2008. Print
Greenblatt, Steven et. al.The Norton Anthology of English Literature.9th ed. Vol B.New York: Norton, 2012. Print.
Shakespeare, William. “The Tempest.” Greenblatt et al. 3064-3115.