Sonnet 135
Whoever hath her wish, thou hast thy 'Will,'
desire
identity
sexuality
names
Whoever hath her wish, thou hast thy 'Will,'
And 'Will' to boot, and 'Will' in overplus;
More than enough am I that vex thee still,
To thy sweet will making addition thus.
Wilt thou, whose will is large and spacious,
Not once vouchsafe to hide my will in thine?
Shall will in others seem right gracious,
And in my will no fair acceptance shine?
The sea all water, yet receives rain still
And in abundance addeth to his store;
So thou, being rich in 'Will,' add to thy 'Will'
One will of mine, to make thy large 'Will' more.
Let no unkind, no fair beseechers kill;
Think all but one, and me in that one 'Will.'
What It Means
This sonnet plays on the name 'Will' — Shakespeare's own name, plus the meaning of desire or intention, plus a crude sexual pun. He asks his mistress to make room for his will among all the others. The word 'Will' appears multiple times, a deliberate overloading of the name and concept. He makes himself one among many, asking not for exclusivity but just for a place.
Context
Part of the Dark Lady sequence. The 'Will' pun appears in several consecutive sonnets (135–136). Shakespeare was one of at least three men named Will connected to this part of the sequence.
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