As much as I've loved some of the flowery language and beautiful descriptors in some of the other sonnets, the absolute sincerity of Sonnet 130 thrilled me. When I look at it from the point of Shakespeare creating a persona "Will," I wonder if Shakespeare is giving him some qualities he felt were developing in his life and view of the world, like the ability to look for beauty not just in the physical sense but in the essence of a person. I think this Will fellow, in sonnet 130, is sincere and honest. It seems to me, too, that the relationship between the Dark Lady and him is very no-nonsense. She knows she's not terribly pretty and doesn't want him to flatter her with flowery language, trying to compare her to things she knows she's not. She wants to be appreciated for what she is. It may be a bit of a stretch to definer her character through 130, but I imagine Shakespeare would have had her (if she was a real person?) read it, and if she couldn't, he would still imagine her reaction and likely want to please her. "And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare/ As any she belied with false compare." The ending couplet serves as the payoff. When I read this, I imagine a not-terribly-fetching young woman perusing a letter from her lover. At first she's confused, but she recognizes herself faithfully rendered. Maybe she even laughs at his candor. But the couplet makes her smile genuinely. It's the highest compliment she would receive.

Sonnet 131 shapes the relationship of Will and the Dark Lady by showing how Will pines for her and can't see how others can honestly call her ugly. When others state that her physical beauty couldn't really capture anyone's attention, he can't bring himself to object (perhaps that's what he thought at first sight?) but to prove the truth, "A thousand groans but thinking on thy face one on another's neck do witness bear thy black is fairest in my judgment's place." So he's clearly proven that the thought of her can move men's hearts, but why do others slander her so? How can they not see the beauty he does? He answers it by saying that she is ugly in her actions. I wonder if this means that she was really a terrible no-good awful person, or if it means that she was not the typical feminine character. Maybe she was cold to suitors, spoke her mind too much, and liked to cause trouble from time to time. As a lover, Will really gravitates back toward flattering the physical. In 130, he avoids hyperbolizing her looks in any way, but now he's back to a thousand groans following right after each other. Maybe he feels the need to flatter her looks, or maybe the physical attraction grew over time. Or... maybe he offended her and needed to make up?

133 seems quite confusing. Are we back to the love triangle madness of High School/ Jr. High? Shakespeare scolds the Dark Lady for torturing not just him, but enslaving his "sweet'st friend" even worse. Because of the situation, he can't have her, his besty, or himself. It's a mess. And even though Will begs her to let him guard his friend so that she cannot be a cruel prison master to his friend, he admits that this will not solve the problem because his friend will be in his heart and his heart belongs to the DL. The idea of the "friend" being a part of himself literally entered my mind, but the idea of a good old fashioned Jr. High love triangle entered my mind too. In that case, Will's having a hard time loving the DL and being true to his friend (another love? the Former OOP?) As the poem goes on he pleads the DL to stop enslaving his friend-- but if this "enslavement" is her toying with them, showing them affection, or even a relationship, then Will's motive's seem a bit backhanded. Release my friend from being in a relationship with you! I'll sacrifice myself! And look, you'll still have him since he's in my heart! Crafty, very crafty. It can also be really hard to see a friend getting jerked around by someone they like, so it's not as though it's a totally selfish maneuver. Well... there's my wild speculation for the night!