Sonnet 36
1. Let me confess that we two must be twain,
2. Although our undivided loves are one:
3. So shall those blots that do with me remain,
4. Without thy help, by me be borne alone.
5. In our two loves there is but one respect,
6. Though in our lives a separable spite,
7. Which though it alter not love's sole effect,
8. Yet doth it steal sweet hours from love's delight,
9. I may not evermore acknowledge thee,
10. Lest my bewailed guilt should do thee shame,
11. Nor thou with public kindness honour me,
12. Unless thou take that honour from thy name:
13. But do not so; I love thee in such sort,
14. As thou being mine, mine is thy good report.
Undivided
Dedication: To Elizabeth
While telling Elizabeth that any blot or stain upon them resulting from the problem of Henry must be his alone, and thus he and Elizabeth must still be regarded publicly as distinct and separate.He speaks of distancing himself for this reason and refers to Henry as that one thing they share and the cause of the “separable spite”.
1st Quatrain: (1-4)
Telling Elizabeth again that they should together on this issue. Again referring to Henry as their "undivided loves being one". Telling her that separation provides her cover from the stigma of him.
2nd Quatrain: (5-8)
Again telling her that Henry is the one uniting thing they have. Telling her how the spite (she has) doesn't change their love but it does steal time from Henry.
3rd Quatrain: (9-12)
Telling Elizabeth that he may not from here in let his reputation be a problem for her. Telling her not to "honor" him unless she is willing to take “that honor” (likely Virgin honor) from her own name.
couplet (13-14),
Telling her his love is so strong and because she is his, he takes the honor (which he lacks) from her.
Commentary:
Oxford returns again to trying to win Elizabeth over despite the “separable spite” between them. He points that he wants in no way to have those problems of his tarnish Elizabeth and thus likely he is continuing to argue for his own anonymity as already seen.
Oxford seemingly late expresses the need for complete separation for himself and Elizabeth. This is a curiosity of sorts to me as I can only wonder what kind of relationship they might have had at this late date. With Oxford now remarried and living very apart from Court life and Elizabeth. Never the less Oxford contrasts this with the key for Elizabeth to remember that though they are separate there still remains the one “respect” as he calls it, that of course to recognize Henry. Moreover he seems again to be saying that she should take the honor from his name and find some other way to recognize Henry.
The traditional understanding of this poem as to the youth and the resulting misinterpretation that the poem is addressing his issues with the youth completely misses that what comes between the poet and the subject of the poem is an issue powerful enough to have been much more fully explored and revealed by the paradigm in question. What’s more scholars have mentioned that the relationship of the subject and the poet in this poems is one-sided should actually reflect that the subject of this poem holds all the power. The additional mention of not needing public kindness displayed to the poet should as well also reflect that this is very much a publicly viewable relationship. At least amongst the court of Elizabeth.
Vendler says that this is “the first acceptance by the speaker of permanent division from the beloved”. But she fails to account for how this is manifested in later sonnets or of course the source of the division.