In this strange labyrinth how shall I turn (Sonnet 77) Summary

"Sonnet 77" begins with the speaker caught inside a labyrinth, unsure of where she should go. Every decision leads to some undesirable outcome. After she has surveyed each option, she determines that she must simply push herself to make any move, regardless of where it takes her. Yet the sonnet ends not with this movement, but with her remarking that she would prefer to desert the labyrinth completely, in favor of “the thread of love.” From the way the speaker describes the labyrinth, we can infer that it symbolizes the twists and turns of a complicated romantic relationship. “The thread of love” she prefers can thus be read as the Christian idea of God as a form of love. This divine love is simple and reassuring, while mortal love is confusing and difficult.