Literature
Online--English 112 Literature
Online--English 112
What's a Remover?
In a country that endures a 50% divorce rate (60% for second marriages), which of the following might be "removers" that could bend loved ones away from their beloveds? Click on all that apply.
| A |
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| B | She gets committed to an institution because of incurable mental illness. |
| C | He leaves for a sexy, younger woman who flatters his ego and acts like he's the most amazing man in the world. |
| D | She leaves for a man who really understands her, is patient with her foibles, and makes her laugh. |
| E | Other: Mentally fill in a few "removers" that you can imagine. |
Background: Cover | Module Preview | A Brief History of the Sonnet | Metrics in Poetry | Reading a Poem | About William Shakespeare
Instruction on Sonnet 116: Sonnet 116--A Reading | The Text | A Paraphrase | Scansion 1 | Scansion 2 | Rhyme Scheme | Sound Effects | Symbolism | Theme
External Sources on Poetry: an alphabetical Glossary of Poetic Terms
Click on "Cover" in the "Background" listing above, left, for credits, information, and email contact for these pages, which are part of an online resource library to support courses in literary studies.
A: Yes, in some states this might be considered abandonment and therefore legal grounds for a divorce. Does the poem condone such divorces for those united by "the marriage of true minds"? (Nope.)
(Return to the "remover" multiple-choice.)
B: Yes, in some states this, too, might be considered abandonment and therefore legal grounds for a divorce. Does the poem condone such divorces for those united by "the marriage of true minds"? (Nope.)
(Return to the "remover" multiple-choice.)
C: Yes. Adultery is grounds for divorce in every state, isn't it? But does the speaker claim that even adultery will pull the lover away from the beloved? (No, not if it's "true" love. Living together might stop, but love won't.)
(Return to the "remover" multiple-choice.)
D: Yes, adultery is grounds for divorce in every state and most countries, if not all, isn't it? But does the speaker in this definition of ideal love admit that even adultery can "bend" the lover's love away from the beloved? (No.)
(Return to the "remover" multiple-choice.)
E: So the "remover," in the context of this poem, is any person, force, or circumstance that would take the beloved away physically or mentally. Any circumstance from death to a business trip might qualify; any action or emotion from jealousy to abuse might qualify as a "remover." But does the speaker in this poem allow that any of these "removers" might stop love? (No, so he is asserting an ideal of love, knowing full well what the common reality is, I suspect.)
(Return to the "remover" multiple-choice.)
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