Love in Shakespeare's Sonnet 128 and Gibran's The Prophet William Shakespeare's "Sonnet 128" suggests a rather playful and sensual approach to love, while an excerpt on love and marriage from Kahlil Gibran's The Prophet has a didactic and intellectual tone. Shakespeare revels in the lustful possession of his mistress, but Gibran advises leaving space between the partners in their relationship. Well endowed with imagery, Shakespeare's sonnet evokes the vision of a woman swaying back and forth while playing a spinet, and the poet sitting smiling and amused. his movements, aroused by his music and his charm. A master of double entendre, Shakespeare writes "Sonnet 128" as a sexual conceit. He compares her playing beautiful music on a "blessed" wooden instrument to her playing her blessed wooden instrument (phallic symbol). In fact, he sees the woman as a toy and an object of possession to be exploited for his own sexual pleasure, misinterpreting his selfish lust as love. The poem has an atmosphere of licentiousness and Shakespeare employs many puns and sexual innuendos to cater to this tone. His diction displays an earthly element: "playing music on blessed wood", "sweet fingers gently waving", "cordial harmony", "jumping jacks nimbly", "reaping a harvest", "the boldness of the wood" , “change of state when tickled,” “dancing chips,” and “fingers walking with gentle gait.” An interpretation of any of these previous phrases could describe her lover playing a spinet or performing a sexual act with resulting gratification. “Change of state when tickled” indicates the attainment of erection. “Reaping a harvest” represents his sexual climax and “Wiry concord” refers to another poem in……. middle of paper......roit: Gale Research, Inc., 1994. 25:305-318.Boyce, Charles Shakespeare from A to Z: the essential reference to his works, his life and times and more. New York: Round Table Press, 1990. pp. 607-610. 20 May 1950: page. 21.Otto, Annie Salem. The Parables of Kahlil Gibran: An Interpretation of His Writings and Art.Secaucus, New Jersey: Citadel Press, 1963.Pequigney, Joseph. Such is my love: a study of Shakespeare's sonnets. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1985. Sherfan, Andrew Dib. Kahlil Gibran: The nature of love. Secaucus, New Jersey: Citadel Press, 1973.Williamson, Sandra L. and James E. Person, Jr., eds. Shakespearean criticism. 31 vols. Detroit: GaleResearch, Inc., 1990. 10: p. 177.