Sonnet 141
In faith, I do not love thee with mine eyes,
desire
foolishness
senses
captivity
In faith, I do not love thee with mine eyes,
For they in thee a thousand errors note;
But 'tis my heart that loves what they despise,
Who in despite of view is pleased to dote;
Nor are mine ears with thy tongue's tune delighted,
Nor tender feeling, to base touches prone,
Nor taste, nor smell, desire to be invited
To any sensual feast with thee alone:
But my five wits nor my five senses can
Dissuade one foolish heart from serving thee,
Who leaves unsway'd the likeness of a man,
Thy proud hearts slave and vassal wretch to be:
Only my plague thus far I count my gain,
That she that makes me sin awards me pain.
What It Means
Shakespeare lists every reason he doesn't love his mistress by conventional standards — his eyes, ears, smell, taste, touch — none of them approve of her. But something does: the 'foolish heart' that suffers the punishment of being her vassal. He is enslaved not through any sensory pleasure but through the sheer compulsion of being her slave.
Context
Part of the Dark Lady sequence.
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