An Analysis of Shakespeare's Poetry: Sigh No More, Ladies

Sigh No More, Ladies

Sigh no more, ladies, sigh no more,
Men were deceivers ever;
One foot in sea, and one in shore,
To one thing constant never,
Then sigh not so,
But let them go,
And be you blithe and bonny,
Converting all your sounds of woe
Into ‘Hey nonny, nonny’.

Sing no more ditties, sing no mo
Of dumps so dull and heavy;
The fraud of men was ever so,
Since summer first was leavy.
Then sigh not so,
But let them go,
And be you blithe and bonny,
Converting all your sounds of woe
Into ‘Hey nonny, nonny’.


Jangan Mengeluh Lagi, Para Wanita

Jangan mengeluh lagi, para wanita, jangan mengeluh lagi,
Para lelaki pernah menjadi penipu;
Sebelah kaki di laut, sebelah lagi di pantai,
Tidak pernah tetat dalam satu hal;
Maka jangan mengeluh seperti itu,
Dan bergembira lah, jadi menarik lah,
Ubah segala bunyi-bunyian kesengsaraan mu
Kepada ‘Hey nonny, nonny’.

Jangan menyanyikan lagu itu lagi, jangan lagi,
Nyanyian yang berat dan membosankan;
Kecurangan para lelaki juga seperti itu,
Sejak awal musim panas pertama,
Maka jangan mengeluh seperti itu,
Biarkan mereka pergi,
Dan bergembiralah, jadi menarik lah,
Ubah segala bunyi-bunyian kesengsaraan mu
Kepada ‘Hey nonny, nonny’.

Shakespeare’s Message in His Poem “Sigh No More, Ladies”

Shakespeare has message for women in this poem, especially for women who ever been hurt/ betrayed by men in a relationship. According to Shakespeare, women should not sigh, sad, or even mourn too much for any unfaithful men who betray the holiness of love in a relationship. It is alright for the betrayed women to sigh, but just don’t do it repeatedly. Shakespeare tells them so, probably because being sad for a long time could affect beauty. This all can be implied from the title: “Sigh No More, Ladies”.

Shakespeare describe the unfaithful men as deceivers and inconstant. Their hearts are belonging to two (or more) women. They cannot decide for just one woman to be loved and stay constant with only her, as it is seen as follows:
“Men were deceivers ever;
One foot in sea, and one in shore,
To one thing constant never,”
(MH Abrams, 1962, page 633)

For that kind of men, Shakespeare tells the betrayed women to not be sad of the situation, just let the unfaithful men go, heal their own selves, then be happy again as usual, as it is seen as follows:
“Then sigh not so,
But let them go,
And be you blithe and bonny,
Converting all your sounds of woe
Into ‘Hey nonny, nonny’.”
(MH Abrams, 1962, page 633)

From the lines above, we can catch Shakespeare’s message to women who ever been hurt by men in a relationship, that they should not being sad too much. They should let the unfaithful men go, forget it, heal their wounds, then be cheerfully again.



Reference

Abrams, MH. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. New York. 1962