Critical Appreciation of "Sonnet III: Taking My Pen" by Michael Drayton

"Sonnet III: Taking My Pen" by Michael Drayton is a deeply emotional poem that explores themes of love, sorrow, and loss. The poet uses the language of finance and accounting to describe the emotional toll of unfulfilled love. The sonnet reflects how love, instead of bringing joy, has left the speaker feeling bankrupt and ruined.

Title Justification

The title Taking My Pen suggests that the poet is about to write down his feelings and experiences. The act of writing serves as a way to measure or account for his emotions, especially his suffering in love. The title effectively captures the introspective and melancholic nature of the poem.

Type of Poetry

This poem is a Shakespearean sonnet, consisting of 14 lines with a structured rhyme scheme. It is also a lyrical poem, as it expresses the personal emotions of the poet. The poem is deeply introspective, using extended metaphors to compare love and suffering to financial transactions.

Imagery and Style

The poem is rich in financial imagery, making love seem like a business transaction that has led to great loss:

• Counting Grief – The poet starts by describing his sorrow in financial terms:

  "Duly to count the sum of all my cares, / I find my griefs innumerable grow,"

  This suggests that his suffering keeps increasing, like an account that cannot be balanced.

• Love as a Debt – The poet compares his love to an unpaid debt:

  "My heart hath paid such grievous usury / That all their wealth lies in thy beauty's books,"

  Here, usury (excessive interest) symbolizes the extreme emotional cost of loving someone who does not return the affection.

• Bankruptcy in Love – The final line highlights complete emotional devastation:

  "And I a bankrupt, quite undone by thee."

  The poet feels emotionally bankrupt, as his love has left him with nothing.

Message and Themes

The poem conveys the following themes:

• Unfulfilled Love – The poet expresses deep sorrow over a love that has not been returned.
• Love as an Emotional Burden – The financial metaphors suggest that love can be costly and painful rather than joyful.
• Loss and Despair – The poet feels completely ruined by his love, emphasizing the destructive power of unreciprocated feelings.

Conclusion

"Sonnet III: Taking My Pen" by Michael Drayton is a beautifully crafted poem that uses financial imagery to depict the pain of love. Through its melancholic tone and striking metaphors, the poem presents love as a transaction where the poet has lost everything. The sonnet effectively conveys the sorrow of unfulfilled love, making it a moving and relatable expression of emotional loss.