Section 5 Summary

Sonnet 36: The poet acknowledges that he and his lady, although bound together in love, are separate people with individual faults These faults make them both less than perfect, he says, but do not compromise their love. Despite their defects, the poet says he is more honored than she by having her love.

Sonnet 37: Like a father who delights in the triumphs of a young child, the poet says he basks in the glory of his beloved—in her beauty, worth and wit—and shines in her reflected brilliance. By living in her glory, the poet says, he experiences gifts he does not himself have.

Sonnet 38: Shakespeare tells his beloved that she ought to be considered a tenth muse, ten times more powerful than the other nine because of her ability to inspire him to write exalted poetry. If any of his poems please his readers...