Editor's Choice
Who does "his" refer to in the line "within his bending sickle's compass come" in Sonnet 116?
Quick answer:
In the line "within his bending sickle's compass come" from Sonnet 116, "his" refers to Time. Time is personified in this poem, often depicted as the Grim Reaper carrying a sickle, symbolizing the inevitable aging and death. Although Time's sickle can cut down the youthful features of the speaker's beloved, Love itself is immune to Time's power and remains unaltered and permanent.
He is talking about Time, personified in this poem as being largely congruent with Death. In brief strokes, the speaker depicts the figure of Time as carrying a sickle, an accessory which immediately brings to mind the image of the so-called Grim Reaper: a dark figure in long robes, bearing a sickle with which to cut us down. This was a very common image in the medieval period, and it was common for churches to have friezes and statues portraying Death in this fashion, taking even the great and good into his arms and turning them into food for worms. The speaker is here suggesting that Time, which marches on despite our best intentions, carries a sickle with which he can cut down the features of our youth, much as Death will eventually cut us down for good. The "rosy lips and cheeks" of the speaker's beloved, then, will eventually...
Unlock This Answer Now
Start your 48-hour free trial and get ahead in class. Boost your grades with access to expert answers and top-tier study guides. Thousands of students are already mastering their assignments—don't miss out. Cancel anytime.
Already a member? Log in here.
fall to Time's sickle: our looks change as we get older. However, Love itself will not suffer the same fate. Not "Time's fool," Love cannot be cut down in the same way, even if those who love each other are no longer young and beautiful. Love, on the contrary, is more enduring than beauty and youth, and arguably even stronger than death.
The answer to this question comes just a line before, when we are told who "his" refers to. Often a lot of the meaning of lines can be understood if you take them in context and read immediately before and after to make sure you understand what is being referred to. Have a look at these lines:
Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
Within his bending sickle's compass come.
In these lines therefore, the speaker of this sonnet alludes to the medieval image of time as the grim reaper, who cuts off life with the sweep of a sickle. Notice the point that the speaker is making - although youth is clearly under the power of Time as we all age, yet Love is not "Time's fool," meaning Love does not alter or change as we grow old. This of course ties in to the overall theme of this sonnet, which is the permanence of love.