n continue to believe the untruth about his age. Perhaps when Shakespeare says "o, love's best habit is in seeming trust (Shakespeare 343)," he is really saying that loves greatest power is to cover up deceit by letting lovers believe that their partners are, in fact, trustworthy. While this may seem somewhat bitter and cynical, it has the power of sustaining a relationship that otherwise might fail! The final way in which these poems are similar, is in the way they describe love as being constant and timeless. It has already been mentioned that "Sonnet 116" describes love as being unchangeable and unalterable. Love is only love if it can withstand tempests, alterations, and even the pit of doom! One very powerful line, "love's not time's fool (Shakespeare 342)," describes love as being even stronger than time itself. Similarly, "Sonnet 130" describes love as being able to overcome beauty. Although his mistress is by no means a goddess, love has the power to overcome looks. This is important, because beauty will always fade with time. Lovers will not always be as lovely or as pleasing to look at as they were in their prime. Because love is beyond looks, it becomes, in a sense, timeless and constant. No matter how much the beauty fades, love will still win out! In "Sonnet 138", age separates the lovers. Were it not for the trust instilled by love, the couple would separate. By being able to lie to each other, and believe their lies, their love continues; "and in our faults by lies we flatter'd be (Shakespeare 343)." Thus, love, because it allows the couple to lie to one another, becomes timeless. In conclusion, these three very different poems contain many similar elements. First, they are all written in sonnet form. That is, they are each 14 lines long and are written in iambic pentameter. Second, all three deal with different aspects of a greater love theme. Sonnet 116 defines love, while "Sonnets 130" and "Sonnets ...
