Closeness and Intimacy

Symbol Analysis

"Love Sonnet 17" is a poem about love, so it's not surprising that it talks a lot about closeness, intimacy, and that sort of mushy stuff. In the last stanza of the poem, the speaker even imagines that his own hand is actually his lover’s hand, and that her eyes close on his dreams. It doesn’t get much closer than that folks! This intimacy also seems to lead to a loss of individuality for each of the lovers. Is it worth it?

  • Line 13: The speaker imagines that he and his lover are so close that his own hand is actually her hand. This image symbolizes the lovers’ intimacy or closeness, a kind of love in which the speaker and his lover become one.
  • Line 14: Talk about closeness. The speaker and his lover are so intertwined that she can see his dreams.