The turn in a sonnet refers to a shift in focus or
thought. The turn is in fact a metaphor, as the speaker is metaphorically "turning" from
one thing to another. In this excellent sonnet which acts as a declaration of how
important the love of the beloved is to the speaker, and how it makes him the envy of
all men, the turn comes in the final rhyming couplet. This can easily be identified
because the tone and the topic distinctly changes as the speaker begins to think about
what would happen if he were to lose the love of his
beloved:
Wretched in this alone, that thou mayst
take
All this away and me most wretched
make.
This is in stark
contrast to his joy and pride as expressed in prior lines, which communicate the glory
and status he feels he receives because of his love for his beloved. The repetition of
the word "wretched" emphasises the perilous position he is in. He has so much invested
in this relationship that were it to end, he would be truly
"wretched."
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