By William Shakespeare
QUICK SUMMARY
Sonnet 138 explores adult love through the lens of mutual deception. Both lovers knowingly lie — she about fidelity, he about youth — finding comfort in illusions that preserve pride and intimacy.
Full Poem: Sonnet 138 (1609)
When my love swears that she is made of truth
I do believe her, though I know she lies,
That she might think me some untutor’d youth,
Unlearned in the world’s false subtleties.
Thus vainly thinking that she thinks me young,
Although she knows my days are past the best,
Simply I credit her false-speaking tongue:
On both sides thus is simple truth suppress’d.
But wherefore says she not she is unjust?
And wherefore say not I that I am old?
O, love’s best habit is in seeming trust,
And age in love loves not to have years told:
* Therefore I lie with her and she with me,*
* And in our faults by lies we flatter’d be.*
Originally published in the 1609 Quarto (1609) by William Shakespeare. Public domain.
Analysis
Sonnet 138 offers one of Shakespeare’s most honest and mature portrayals of love. Rather than celebrating idealized affection or romantic innocence, the poem reveals a relationship built on shared pretenses. Both lovers conceal truths to protect themselves — not out of malice, but to preserve emotional balance.
Love as Negotiation Rather Than Fantasy
Where many earlier sonnets idealize the beloved, Sonnet 138 dismantles romantic illusions. The speaker admits that his lover lies about her fidelity — and he pretends to believe her. He recognizes her dishonesty, yet chooses silence. In return, she pretends he is young and naïve, flattering his vanity.
Shakespeare depicts love as a negotiation shaped by insecurity, pride, and mutual tolerance. This marks a significant shift from youthful romanticism to an adult understanding of human imperfection.
The Role of Aging
Age is central to the poem’s tension. The speaker knows he is no longer young, and he fears losing desirability. His willingness to accept flattery reveals both vulnerability and self-awareness. He allows his lover to preserve the illusion because the truth — that he is “past the best” — is too painful to confront directly.
His lover performs her own kind of self-preservation. She hides her faults because acknowledging them would weaken the relationship’s delicate emotional equilibrium. Shakespeare’s insight: lovers often hide truths not only from each other but from themselves.
The Psychology of Mutual Deception
Shakespeare suggests that deception can coexist with genuine affection. The lovers are not harmed by the lies; instead, the lies become part of their intimacy. They understand each other’s weaknesses and respect the need for emotional protection.
The line “On both sides thus is simple truth suppress’d” captures this balance. Truth is not denied violently — it is gently set aside, tucked away to preserve comfort.
“Lie” as a Layered Metaphor
The final couplet delivers Shakespeare’s most striking play on meaning:
Therefore I lie with her and she with me,
And in our faults by lies we flatter’d be.
“Lie” performs simultaneous meanings:
• to tell falsehoods
• to lie together physically
The pun suggests that deception becomes woven into their intimacy. Their physical closeness and emotional dishonesty are intertwined — not as corruption, but as realistic acknowledgment of human flaws.
A Mature, Realistic View of Love
Sonnet 138 stands out in the sequence because it confronts the emotional compromises that relationships often demand. Shakespeare argues that lovers sometimes choose illusion over harsh truth — not because love is false, but because people are fragile.
This sonnet does not mock love. It reveals its complexity. It shows how affection and deception can coexist, how desire shapes perception, and how honesty is not always the most compassionate choice.
In this way, Sonnet 138 remains one of Shakespeare’s most modern and psychologically insightful poems.