William Shakespeare's sonnet 116, titled "Let me not to the marriage of true minds," is a tribute to the power and endurance of true love. The sonnet addresses the idea that true love is unchanging and eternal, and it serves as a testament to the beauty and strength of the bond between two people who are truly in love.
Throughout the sonnet, Shakespeare uses a variety of literary devices to convey the theme of enduring love. One of the most notable of these is the use of repetition, as seen in the repetition of the phrase "true minds" in the first and last lines of the sonnet. This repetition serves to emphasize the centrality of true love to the poem, and it highlights the idea that true love is a constant and unchanging force.
Another important aspect of the theme of enduring love in sonnet 116 is the way in which Shakespeare presents love as a force that can withstand even the most difficult of circumstances. In the second quatrain, he writes, "Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks/ Within his bending sickle's compass come." Here, Shakespeare suggests that even the passage of time, which is often associated with decay and death, cannot diminish the power of true love. Rather, true love is able to withstand the ravages of time and remain strong and steadfast.
Finally, the theme of enduring love is also reflected in the final couplet of the sonnet, in which Shakespeare writes, "If this be error and upon me proved,/ I never writ, nor no man ever loved." Here, Shakespeare asserts that the idea of enduring love is so fundamental and essential to the human experience that it is impossible to imagine a world in which it does not exist. In this way, the sonnet serves as a powerful tribute to the enduring and eternal nature of true love.
In conclusion, the theme of enduring love is central to Shakespeare's sonnet 116. Through the use of repetition, the portrayal of love as a force able to withstand even the most difficult of circumstances, and the assertion that the idea of enduring love is essential to the human experience, Shakespeare celebrates the power and beauty of true love.