William Shakespeare

Sonnet 129: "Th' expense of spirit in a waste of shame..."

Th' expense of spirit in a waste of shame Is lust in action; and till action, lust Is perjur'd, murd'rous, bloody, full of blame, Savage, extreme, rude, cruel, not to trust; Enjoy'd no sooner but despised straight; Past reason hunted; and, no sooner had, Past reason hated, as a swallow'd bait, On purpose laid to make the taker mad: Mad in pursuit, and in possession so; Had, having, and in quest to have, extreme; A bliss in proof, and prov'd, a very woe; Before, a joy propos'd; behind, a dream. All this the world well knows; yet none knows well To shun the heaven that leads men to this hell. NOTES Form: sonnet: ababcdcdefefgg 1-2. Th' expense . . . action. The meaning will appear clearly if lust in action is regarded as the subject. Note the pun on "waste"/"waist. " expense: expenditure. Visit the Shakespeare Glossary for vocabulary questions!