This is the third in the collection known as the "Dark Lady Sonnets" and seems to be pretty different than the past sonnets. It's probably mostly because this was one I studied more extensively that others, but I found it to be one of the most interesting when examined. The poem almost immediately stands out because of the way the speaker lists descriptions of how he views lust. This isn't normal for Shakespeare and it is easy to imagine this being a rant that was fueled by an actual event involving the lady. There are many underlying sexual symbols and tones in this poem to be seen. Shakespeare keeps bringing up how sex is a terrible thing that you only want while in pursuit but that you later regret. Looking at this, it's not hard to say that perhaps the pursuit is in fact the best part of what Shakespeare aims to describe.
When this sonnet is compared to others about the dark lady, I think it stands out as one of a few negative, and in this case, almost aggressively so towards the woman. How is it that in the previous sonnet he was desperate to be a key on her instrument just to feel her fingers, but now he seems disgusted by the idea of such "savage, extreme, rude, cruel" acts? If the sonnets are indeed arranged in the writers intended order, than this seems rather bipolar on Shakespeare's part. I suppose love does that kind of thing.
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