Shakespeare’s sonnet number 116 “True Love” presents the poet’s idea of true love. True love, believes and affirms the poet, is the union of true minds. Such union of true minds overcomes all obstacles.

Love that changes when circumstances change is not love. It is mere sensuality or lust. Once two true minds get united in love, nothing can change or separate them. No remover can remove, can even bend true love. In other words, no external force or influence, however strong, can sever the bond between true minds united in love.

True love, according to Shakespeare is, like the pole-star, or the lighthouse, is an ever-fixed mark. Storms or tempests cause havoc on the sea. Ships drift in the dark, searching for direction. The polestar, in the face of such disturbance, remains steadfast and guides the ships and the sailors.

True love, like the pole-star, guides all lovers. With its steadfastness and constancy; it is the ideal for all lovers. With its steadfastness and constancy; it is the ideal for all lovers. One can take the height of the pole-star but cannot gauge its worth. Similarly, true love’s worth cannot be measured.

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True love is not time’s fool. Things and beings grow and decay in time. With the passage of time the rosy lips and cheeks of youth lose their luster, their charm.

Physical charm is subject to the ravages of time. Lust confines itself to physical charm. With the physique withering, lust dissolves. It dose not happen so with true love which is the marriage of true minds. True love does not wane with the passage of time.

The true minds united in love remain united till the edge of doom. True love is everlasting. In the end Shakespeare speaks with conviction that nobody can disprove his views about true love. As none can say that Shakespeare did not write this poem, nobody can say that true love is inconstant, transient.