1. Mine eye hath play'd the painter and hath stell'd,

2. Thy beauty's form in table of my heart,

3. My body is the frame wherein 'tis held,

4. And perspective it is the Painter's art.

5. For through the Painter must you see his skill,

6. To find where your true image pictured lies,

7. Which in my bosom's shop is hanging still,

8. That hath his windows glazed with thine eyes:

9. Now see what good turns eyes for eyes have done,

10. Mine eyes have drawn thy shape, and thine for me

11. Are windows to my breast, where-through the Sun

12. Delights to peep, to gaze therein on thee;

13. Yet eyes this cunning want to grace their art

14. They draw but what they see, know not the heart.

Your True Image

Dedication: To Elizabeth

Explaining to Elizabeth how her beauty is captured in his eye and his love for her held in his heart, he alludes to how Henry also captures and shows her beauty. He alludes to Henry also with the reference to the sun. He finishes with the thought that the painting he metaphorically makes can not know her heart alluding to not being able to know her intentions with regard to Henry’s recognition.

1^st Quatrain: (1-4)

Telling of how he records the Henry's beauty.

2^nd Quatrain: (5-8)

Telling him that only his metaphorical painter eye can depict his truth. Henry is a metaphorical picture hanging in workshop (not yet displayed) in lines 7 and 8.

3rd Quatrain: (9-12)

Playing again on his eyes as windows tells Henry that through them he appears inside his heart. And once again playing on the metaphor and homophonic aspect of sun to represent Henry.

couplet (13-14),

Telling him that though all this beauty is wonderful to behold it is but a superficial representation of his greater internal beauty.

Commentary:

Oxford building a complex metaphorical representation for how he has captured Elizabeth visage through Henry (implied) but can never capture or know the true nature of her heart on which he relies for her decision regarding Henry’s determination. Thus while the external metaphor is rather transparent, though somewhat elaborate it is the meaning that is very much lost in this sonnet. The metaphor with the meaning is Oxford’s eye painting Elizabeth’s image in his heart, which is framed in “workshop” of his body. A shop seen through the windows of Elizabeth’s eyes, where the Sun likes to peep through and show the art. However he tells her in the end his eyes can only draw her shape (which he is implying they have done through Henry) they can’t know her intentions (which is the key to letting Henry fulfill his purpose). Of course the Sun ((in line 11) cleverly alludes to Henry.

I believe the purpose of this sonnet is to make Elizabeth realize her affection for Henry, awaken some sentimentality of their relationship, and express that Elizabeth’s feelings are not known to others.

Vendler calls this “the first extended mediation in the Sonnets on representation”. She continues to say that “representation, though intended as an homage reproducing the whole beloved, turns to produce almost unintentionally, a two-dimensional image for public consumption (the sun comes to gaze)”.