When most I wink, then do mine eyes best see,
For all the day they view things unrespected;
But when I sleep, in dreams they look on thee,
And darkly bright, are bright in dark directed.
Then thou, whose shadow shadows doth make bright,
How would thy shadow’s form form happy show
To the clear day with thy much clearer light,
When to unseeing eyes thy shade shines so!
How would, I say, mine eyes be blessed made
By looking on thee in the living day,
When in dead night thy fair imperfect shade
Through heavy sleep on sightless eyes doth stay!
     All days are nights to see till I see thee,
     And nights bright days when dreams do show thee me.

Analysis

Sonnet 43 sees the poet and his lover apart, and uses imagery of bright nights and dark days to describe dreams of his love.

All day Willy is forced to look on what he doesn’t do not care about, but at night, he closes his eyes and dreams of his beloved, and that is when he sees best. For even the shadow of his lover brightens a dream, and a much brighter presence in reality makes things even more delightful. His joy would be proportionally greater, since seeing his love in dreams is so wonderful, to see them in life would be too good to be true! Until they are reunited, days are as dark as night because of his love’s absence, and nights as bright as day with sweet dreams.
 

Will’s Wordplay

The contrast is between shadow and substance, corresponding roughly to the distinction between body and soul.

Billy uses the word “form” as both noun and verb in quick succession. How wondrously would your form, the real you, from which your shadow is derived, create (or form) a lovely display.

Bethesda Arcade Terrace Arches, Central Park, Manhattan

Bethesda Terrace Arcade is the arched, interior walkway in the center of the park that links the Mall to Bethesda Fountain and the Central Park Lake. Created in the 1860s, the Arcade features a stunning tiled ceiling and was designed by Jacob Wrey Mould. [1]

Bethesda Terrace Arcade was created in the 1860s as a part of the Park’s main architectural feature. A grand staircase connects the Mall to the subterranean arcade.

It was conceived to be an ornate interior that would act as a distinct counterpart to the open terrace and Lake. The highlight of the arcade is the magnificent Minton Tile ceiling designed by British-born architect and designer, Jacob Wrey Mould, who also conceived of the decorative carvings throughout the Terrace.

Installed in 1869, there are more than 15,000 colorful, patterned encaustic tiles, made by England’s famed Minton Tile Company. Encaustic tiles, originally created to cover floors, are made of individual colored clays pressed and fired into the tile to form the design. Bethesda arcade is the only place in the world where these Minton tiles are used for a ceiling. The niches that flank the walls of the arcade are covered with trompe l’oeil paintings that resemble the colored stone inlay design that was never completed. Over the decades, the 50-ton ceiling deteriorated. In the 1980s, the tiles were placed in storage. Thanks to charitable donation, Central Park Conservancy was finally able to restore the ceiling and the arcade in 2000. [2]

In Popular Culture

The lower passage and fountain appear in the 2nd episode of season 1 of White Collar.
It also appears in the video for The Lonely Island song “I Just Had Sex” Featuring Akon

References

1. http://www.centralpark.com/guide/attractions/bethesda-terrace/bethesda-terrace-arcade.html
2. http://www.centralparknyc.org/things-to-see-and-do/attractions/minton-tiles-at-bethesda.html

ACTOR – Joe Vincent

Broadway: Max (Tom Stoppard’s Rock ’n’ Roll), 2008 Off-Broadway: Flamingo Court with Jamie Farr, 2008. Utah Shakespeare Festival: Henry Saunders (Lend Me a Tenor: The Musical), Malachi Stack (The Matchmaker) Other Theatres: a combined thirty-one seasons at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival; Old Globe (San Diego); California, Alabama, Orlando, Pennsylvania, Washington, D.C., and Utah Shakespeare festivals
Television/Film: Eddie Murphy’s Metro, Warner Bros. Enos; television movies, Inherit the Wind and Girl of the Limberlost
Other Credits: has performed in thirty-three of Shakespeare’s thirty-seven plays, and more than forty major musical theatre roles; also personally leads tours to Shakespeare’s Italy
Awards: nominated for eight Bay Area Theatre Critic Circle, Dramalogue, and Dean Goodman excellence awards; won four times, in two categories.

DIRECTOR – Okke Rutte

Okke Rutte is an internationally recognized filmmaker. For the past decade, Okke has partnered with artists, actors, musicians, fashion designers, and major brands to create short films, videos and commercials for use across Europe and in the States. A native of the Netherlands, Okke relocated to New York City in early 2011, making the city that never sleeps his permanent home. Most recently, Okke co-wrote, produced, and directed the short film In Motion. He earned his BFA in Filmmaking from Middlesex University (London, England). www.oruproductions.com

Assistant Director- Elitza Daskalova

Elitza Daskalova is an actress, writer & avid traveler based in New York City. Elitza has appeared as a performer in the New York International Fringe Festival, Women in Theatre Conference, and at various off- off Broadway venues throughout the city. She recently co-wrote the short film In Motion. Elitza holds a BFA in Acting from Marymount Manhattan College. www.elitzadaskalova.com