10 Facts About Sonnet 138

Sonnet 138 is one of the most famous of William Shakespeare's sonnets.

Sonnet 138 begins with the speaker discussing how his love speaks word of truth, but the next line states "I do believe her, though I know she lies.

Sonnet 138 stresses his awareness that his best days are behind him; a truth that his lover knows but ignores.

Sonnet 138 is one of twenty sonnets published in The Passionate Pilgrim collection (1599) by Jaggard.

Sonnet 138 is the first poem in The Passionate Pilgrim, followed thereafter by Shakespeare's Sonnet 144.

Sonnet 138 is a part of a series of poems written about Shakespeare's dark lady.

Sonnet 138 unveils a paradox that underlines the speaker's personal struggle to come to terms with issues of deceit and trust in love.

Alice F Moore concurs with the writing of Stephen Booth in her own commentary on Sonnet 138, proclaiming the relationship between the two lovers as one of mutual dishonesty.

Sonnet 138 wants to appear younger, while she wants to think that she is with a more youthful lover.

Sonnet 138 has a slight twist about who lies to whom, claiming that the lady lies to the speaker about her faithfulness, but he does not lie to her, only to himself, imagining that she believes him to be an "untutored youth".