Sonnet 70
That thou art blamed shall not be thy defect,
reputation
slander
beauty
defense
That thou art blamed shall not be thy defect,
For slander's mark was ever yet the fair;
The ornament of beauty is suspect,
A crow that flies in heaven's sweetest air.
So thou be good, slander doth but approve
Thy worth the greater, being woo'd of time;
For canker vice the sweetest buds doth love,
And thou present'st a pure unstained prime.
Thou hast pass'd by the ambush of young days,
Either not assail'd or victor being charged;
Yet this thy praise cannot be so thy praise,
To tie up envy evermore enlarged:
If some suspect of ill mask'd not thy show,
Then thou alone kingdoms of hearts shouldst owe.
What It Means
Shakespeare defends the young man against criticism. Yes, he's being talked about badly, but that's because beauty always attracts slander. The 'canker' (worm) goes for the sweetest bud. If you're beautiful, envy will come for you. This is not entirely convincing as a defense — Sonnet 69 suggested the criticism had some basis — but Shakespeare chooses advocacy over judgment.
Context
Part of the Fair Youth sequence, a direct response to the criticism hinted at in Sonnet 69.
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