Sonnet 51 of the third ictus (resulting in a four-position figure, codice_1, sometimes referred to as a "minor ionic"). There are seven possible initial reversals in this sonnet (in lines one, four, five, seven, eight, thirteen, and fourteen), three possible mid-line reversals (in lines three, eleven, and twelve) and two possible "minor ionics" (moving the first ictus of line two, and the third ictus of line five). This metrical agitation contrasts with the plodding regularity of Sonnet 50. Sonnet 51 Sonnet 51 is one of 154 sonnets written by the English playwright and poet William Shakespeare. It is part of the Fair
Sonnet 41 that the loss of his mistress did not hurt him badly, because he did not love her, trying not to blame the youth but blaming him still. Sonnet 41 continues the saga with desperate attempts to excuse the youth's behavior, eventually admitting his hurt. In the last of the three (42) the speaker continues his trend of self-deception exemplified in sonnet 41. There are many allusions and textual references in this sonnet taken from other Shakespeare works. They have been helpful in understanding the context and creating our "modern" interpretation of the sonnet. Sonnet 41, lines 5-8: <poem> "Gentle thou