Sonnet 87

I have mixed thoughts on this sonnet. At first, I think it’s a lovely sonnet where the speaker is glorifying the reader and being very sweet. Then, I get the idea that the speaker has been rejected and is making a pathetic plea. He is asking for flattery and it seems like he has low self-esteem. The speaker could also be hinting that the person’s greatness has to do with money because words like bonds, riches, and gifts are used throughout the sonnet. The situation in the poem is not rectified as the speaker lets the person he is with go. After reading it over many times, I don’t feel bad for the speaker because he really sounds pretty phony. The turning point is the couplet at the end where he states that he wakes up from a dream into reality.