Sonnet 57: Being Your Slave, What Should I Do But Tend

SONNETCAST – William Shakespeare's Sonnets Recited, Revealed, Relived

Sonnets 57 & 58 once again come as a strongly linked pair, and with these sonnets , William Shakespeare positions himself at such a pointedly subservient angle to his lover that we may be forgiven for detecting in them a really rather rare and therefore all the more startling note of sarcasm. The argument that is being pursued is simple enough: I am your slave and therefore you are at liberty to do whatever you want, wherever you choose, with whomsoever you desire, and far be it from me to try to have any say or let alone control over how you spend your time.
As on previous occasions, we shall look at the two poems together in the next episode, while concentrating on the first one of the two for now.