These lines are part of a longer discussion between Jessica and Lorenzo about love. They spend many lines comparing themselves to famous lovers, like Dido and Aeneas from The Aeneid. This section of the play is not quite as powerful as some of the other excerpts, but it’s still a great representation of the characters in the play.
How sweet the moonlight sleeps upon this bank! William ShakespeareHow sweet the moonlight sleeps upon this bank!Here will we sit and let the sounds of musicCreep in our ears: soft stillness and the nightBecome the touches of sweet harmony.Sit, Jessica. Look how the floor of heavenIs thick inlaid with patines of bright gold:There’s not the smallest orb which thou behold’stBut in his motion like an angel sings,Still quiring to the young-eyed cherubins;Such harmony is in immortal souls;But whilst this muddy vesture of decayDoth grossly close it in, we cannot hear it.Come, ho! and wake Diana with a hymn!With sweetest touches pierce your mistress’ ear,And draw her home with music.The reason is, your spirits are attentive:For do but note a wild and wanton herd,Or race of youthful and unhandled colts,Fetching mad bounds, bellowing and neighing loud,Which is the hot condition of their blood;If they but hear perchance a trumpet sound,Or any air of music touch their ears,You shall perceive them make a mutual stand,Their savage eyes turn’d to a modest gazeBy the sweet power of music: therefore the poetDid feign that Orpheus drew trees, stones and floods;Since nought so stockish, hard and full of rage,But music for the time doth change his nature.The man that hath no music in himself,Nor is not moved with concord of sweet sounds,Is fit for treasons, stratagems and spoils;The motions of his spirit are dull as nightAnd his affections dark as Erebus:Let no such man be trusted. Mark the music.
Summary
‘How sweet the moonlight sleeps upon this bank!’ by William Shakespeare is a thoughtful depiction of the power music has.
The excerpt calls Jessica’s attention to the beauty of the night and the harmony of all its elements working together. Lorenzo goes on to speak about this kind of “music” and how it works to soothe the soul. Even the most savage of creatures will be calmed by music, he says, mentioning cows as an example. The excerpt concludes with Lorenzo reminding Jessica, and all those reading/watching the play, that anyone who is not affected by music should not be trusted.
Structure and Form
‘How sweet the moonlight sleeps upon this bank!’ by William Shakespeare is a thirty-four-line excerpt from The Merchant of Venice, one of Shakespeare’s most commonly performed plays. The lines are written in unrhymed iambic pentameter, also known as blank verse, something that William Shakespeare was very well-known for. Since the lines are unrhymed, the sounds of each line vary greatly, from “bank” and “music” to “night” and “harmony” in the first few lines.
Literary Devices
In this poem, the poet uses a few literary devices. They include:
- Personification: a literary device seen when the poet imbues something nonhuman with human characteristics. For example, “the moonlight sleeps upon this bank” or “let the sounds of music / Creep in our ears.”
- Alliteration: the repetition of the same consonant sound at the beginning of multiple words, for example “soft stillness.”
- Allusion: a reference to something outside the poet’s direct context. For example, the references to Greek mythology.
Detailed Analysis
Lines 1-10
How sweet the moonlight sleeps upon this bank!
Here will we sit and let the sounds of music
Creep in our ears: soft stillness and the night
Become the touches of sweet harmony.
Sit, Jessica. Look how the floor of heaven
Is thick inlaid with patines of bright gold:
There’s not the smallest orb which thou behold’st
But in his motion like an angel sings,
Still quiring to the young-eyed cherubins;
Such harmony is in immortal souls;
In the first lines of this excerpt, the speaker, Lorenzo, addresses Jessica and draws her attention to the way the moonlight is falling on the “bank” or flowerbed. It’s a beautiful sight, one that is emphasized by the “sound of music” in their ears.
The poet uses personification in these first lines, describing the moonlight as falling and the music as creeping. This adds life and interest to the scene, making what Lorenzo describes far more evocative. It’s in this moment, and moments like these, that one can sense the harmony of the world and feel truly at peace, he adds.
The peace of the moment encourages him to ask Jesica to sit down and pay attention to the sky filled with stars or “inland with patines of bright gold.” The sky is utterly consumed by stars, big and small. He notes that even the smallest is important; each is like an angel singing and harmonizing with God and Heaven.
Lines 11-24
But whilst this muddy vesture of decay
Doth grossly close it in, we cannot hear it.
Come, ho! and wake Diana with a hymn!
With sweetest touches pierce your mistress’ ear,
And draw her home with music.
The reason is, your spirits are attentive:
For do but note a wild and wanton herd,
Or race of youthful and unhandled colts,
Fetching mad bounds, bellowing and neighing loud,
Which is the hot condition of their blood;
If they but hear perchance a trumpet sound,
Or any air of music touch their ears,
You shall perceive them make a mutual stand,
Their savage eyes turn’d to a modest gaze
Lorenzo notes that while it’s possible for them to appreciate nature’s beauty, they cannot hear the angel singing or feel the true beauty and wonder of the divine while they are in this “muddy vesture of decay” or living within their human bodies on Earth.
He goes on, calling on Jessica to “wake Diana with a hymn.” Diana is the Greek God of the countryside, hunting, and the moon, an image that suits the moment the two are sharing quite well.
Working off this image of getting Diana’s attention, Lorenzo tells Jessica that music has a strange and important power. It catches the attention of all living things, even those that one might not normally associate with peace, harmony, and an appreciation for music. Lorenzo uses cows as an example, saying that even cows stop to listen to a trumpet. They calm down, and the “hot condition” of their blood cools. They become peaceful because of it.
Lines 23-34
By the sweet power of music: therefore the poet
Did feign that Orpheus drew trees, stones and floods;
Since nought so stockish, hard and full of rage,
But music for the time doth change his nature.
The man that hath no music in himself,
Nor is not moved with concord of sweet sounds,
Is fit for treasons, stratagems and spoils;
The motions of his spirit are dull as night
And his affections dark as Erebus:
Let no such man be trusted. Mark the music.
The final lines describe where Lorenzo is getting his understanding of music from — Ovid (and likely other poets), who wrote about its power. He cites Ovid’s depiction of Orpheus’ music as changing the nature of “trees, stones, and floods.” It had extreme power over all things. There is nothing so “hard and full of rage” that music cannot calm.
The final lines describe the kind of person who wouldn’t be affected by music. This is a man whose spirit is as “dull as night” and whose “affections are dark as Erebus.” This is another Greek allusion. This time to the Erebus, also known as Erebus, the personification of darkness and the underworld.
Men, as Lorenzo just described, cannot be trusted. One should “mark the music,” he concludes, or pay attention to what music (and those who are impacted or not impacted by it) are telling you.
FAQs
The theme is the power of music. The poem/excerpt is focused on the power that music has to calm even the most vicious of souls. It also alludes to the danger in trusting men who aren’t affected by music.
The tone is appreciative and passionate. Lorenzo, the speaker, is entirely convinced of his own opinion regarding music and is sharing his love for it with Jessica.
The line is found in William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice, a popular play written in the late 1500s. It’s about what happens after a merchant defaults on a large loan.
The Merchant of Venice has been classified in a few different ways, most commonly as a romantic comedy with tragic features.
Similar Poetry
Readers who enjoyed this poem should also consider reading some other William Shakespeare poems and monologues. For example:
- ‘A Fairy Song’ – a short song that’s sung by a fairy and describes their work from A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
- “The quality of mercy is not strained” – is a monologue delivered by Portia to Shylock in Act IV, Scene I of The Merchant of Venice.
- ‘Once More Unto The Breach’ – is one of Shakespeare’s most rousing and iconic speeches. The speaker, Henry, tells his men to stay and fight or give up and lose their lives.
