Th’expense of Spirit in a Waste of Shame is the first line of Sonnet 129 by the great English playwright and poet William Shakespeare.
The sonnets were published in 1609, when Shakespeare had already established himself as a playwright. He probably composed the verses over a number of years, though their dates are unknown. There are 154 sonnets in the sequence, but some scholars think a different poet composed Sonnets 153 and 154, those focused on Cupid, the Roman god of love. Only two of the sonnets were published before 1609, in the anthology The Passionate Pilgrim (1599). See Shakespeare, William.
Like almost all of Shakespeare’s sonnets, Sonnet 129 consists of three quatrains (four-line units) followed by a concluding couplet (two-line unit). Each quatrain has a rhyme scheme of abab, cdcd, efef, with the final couplet a rhyming one (gg).
Th’expense of spirit in a waste of shame Is lust in action, and, till action, lust Is perjured, murd’rous, bloody, full of blame, Savage, extreme, rude, cruel, not to trust, Enjoyed no sooner but despised straight, Past reason hunted, and no sooner had, Past reason hated as a swallowed bait On purpose laid to make the taker mad; Mad in pursuit, and in possession so, Had, having, and in quest to have, extreme, A bliss in proof, and proved, a very woe, Before, a joy proposed, behind, a dream. All this the world well knows, yet none knows well To shun the heaven that leads men to this hell.
This is one of Shakespeare’s harshest and most pessimistic sonnets. Instead of the usual graceful flow of metaphor and subtle argument, Shakespeare has written a series of choppy, disjointed lines. Unlike many of Shakespeare’s sonnets that deal with the subject of love, the subject here is lust. In this sonnet, the poet expresses disgust both with physical passion and with the frenzied pursuit of it.
Sonnet 129 belongs to a substantial group (numbers 127 to 154) in the sequence known as the “dark lady” sonnets. These poems either address or concern themselves with a mistress of dark hair and features, whose identity remains unknown. Unlike the fair youth of sonnets 1 to 126, the dark lady represents the bleaker, less pleasant aspects of love. The speaker has become involved with her reluctantly, and often expresses frustration and even despair about their relationship.
Sonnet 129 shows the poet at his most despairing about the physical aspect of his affair with the dark lady. His courtship degrades him rather than elevates him. The human spirit is expended or wasted, by “lust in action” (the physical act of consummation). And “till action” (in pursuit of action), lust is “perjured” (lying), murderous, savage, and untrustworthy.
The speaker presents “before and after” scenarios to represent physical passion. It is “enjoyed no sooner but despised straight” (or, no sooner enjoyed than despised). It is “mad in pursuit and in possession so”; it is “a bliss in proof, and proved, a very woe.” By going back and forth like this, the speaker suggests a hopeless, unsatisfying cycle of mad pursuit and despair that may have something to do with the particular lady who is the object of his desire. There is no narrative or clear development of thought here, but rather a series of disconnected time frames. Many of Shakespeare’s sonnets present an argument and have a turning point at the start of the third quatrain. However, Sonnet 129 effectively goes in circles, repeating its unhappy point over and over.
The dark lady is not specifically mentioned in this sonnet, but scholars assume that she is the cause of the poet’s despair. The unnamed lady is present throughout, a temptress who lays “bait” deliberately “to make the taker mad.” There may be hints of “bliss” and “joy” in the anticipation of being with her. But the “dream” in which it all ends is one of illusion, deceit, and unreality. And perhaps most depressing of all, Shakespeare implies that although people may recognize this reality, it does not stop them from repeating the speaker’s mistake. His personal misery has become universal. “All the world” knows the truth of what he describes, but none know well enough “To shun the heaven that leads men to this hell.”
For more information about Shakespeare’s sonnets, see Shakespeare, William (Shakespeare’s poems). See also English literature (Elizabethan poetry); Poetry (Forms) (Renaissance poetry).
