1. Two loves I have of comfort and despair,
2. Which like two spirits do suggest me still,
3. The better angel is a man right fair:
4. The worser spirit a woman colour'd ill.
5. To win me soon to hell, my female evil,
6. Tempteth my better angel from my sight,
7. And would corrupt my saint to be a devil:
8. Wooing his purity with her foul pride.
9. And whether that my angel be turn'd fiend
10. Suspect I may, but not directly tell,
11. But being both from me, both to each friend,
12. I guess one angel in another's hell.
13. Yet this shall I ne'er know, but live in doubt,
14. Till my bad angel fire my good one out.
Two Loves
Dedication: To Elizabeth
His two loves. One represents comfort (probably Henry) the other despair (probably Elizabeth). He further offers us that one is a man right fair (a male at least but possibly a man if this sonnet doesn't fit the general order). While the other “a woman coloured ill”, which we should understand means black (she thus the "Dark Lady"). This evil woman tempts his "better" angel from his side. Commenting on the question of uncertainty that she will make the "man" a "fiend". To which he claims he will never know till this "better angel" drives out this "female evil".
1st Quatrain: (1-4)
This couplet reflects the poet’s turmoil in dealing with his predicament and his need to persevere. Here he has two sprits speaking to him. One love is Elizabeth the "woman colour'd ill" while the second is his own conscious telling him what must be done.
2nd Quatrain: (5-8)
Here the female spirit tempts him and his own inner spirit to a dark side. The "foul pride" in line 8 was probably a reference to her "virginity" trumping her motherhood. Elizabeth clearly had much power to persuade Oxford to play along with the official version that the event discussed here never happened. Oxford was most likely convinced that by surrendering now he could fight this battle in the future. He did this very thing as we will see.
3rd Quatrain: (9-12)
The conflict continues with Elizabeth's angel in Oxford's hell.
couplet (13-14),
Oxford lets Elizabeth know that she is winning at this point but cleverly pointing out how awful and evil it is if she prevails. I believe that these poems were clearly meant for Elizabeth and they often contain his subtle means to persuade her to change her mind with regard to Henry. Often they aren't subtle at all.
Commentary:
This sonnet is a metaphorical representation of the poet’s internal conflict governed by the two opposing forces represented by either himself or Henry and Elizabeth. Read correctly I believe this sonnet contains reference to the third party who’s of purity while the female involved is evil and must be rid of this other person. Again we see the metaphorical nature of the dark lady who is attempting to influence him to deny him what he holds dear. My guess is that Elizabeth has started to make plans concerning Henry's future that are not of satisfaction to Oxford. As he is dedicated to seeing his son rule.
It has been expressed before that the two subjects of Shakespeare’s life .i.e. the ‘Dark Lady’ and the ‘fair youth’, come together with the Dark Lady seducing the youth. However it has never been understood the true nature of the relationship between the two individuals or their relationship in turn to Shakespeare. More importantly without an understanding of this parent/child relationship much confusion has arisen in regard to the romantic entanglement of the three.
Frequently scholarship informs us that Sonnet 144 is the only sonnet that explicitly refers to both the Dark Lady and the young man , the poet’s “Two loves.” I would disagree and offer that others such as 20 and the often misunderstood “rival poet” sonnets do so as well. At any rate, they seemingly prefer to view this relationship as a love triangle. Though it seems there is disagreement as to the tone. As this one has been characterized as cynical and mocking by some instead of how Dr. Gurr refers to it as playful and humorous.
Traditional scholarship also has commented that this sonnet differs markedly from the playful and humorous tone of the “previous” sonnet (143) which we will see is not necessarily either meant to be playful or humorous. This Sonnet is essentially the same as the second sonnet from the Passionate Pilgrim, only with the much more possessive and autobiographical my replacing the The of lines 3 and 4. This reveals two things, that this indeed likely an early sonnet (by virtue of the earlier publication of the PP though not by much but also because it contains what I believe can be demonstrated are early poems ) and more importantly that the nature of the two entities (people) discussed bear a relationship to the poet. Even more importantly though is that this sonnet details the importance of the two individuals discussed with respect to both the poet and the story told by these sonnets. And connects the poet, his "fair" male friend, and his often somewhat evil female love.
KDJ mentions the sexual application of the medieval concept of the psychomachia, where a good angel and an evil one compete for a man’s soul. While the concept is certainly there, I must disagree with the sexual connotation which I would argue is almost completely lacking in the whole sequence. She also makes a point of this sonnet’s number being the product of 12 squared, which is known as “gross” and this sonnet’s supposed ties to “amorous possessions” prove to be a gross as well.