The law (Motif)
Sonnet 30 uses recurring language from law. The first line describes the speaker's silent meditation on the past as a "session," as in the term "the court in session." The speaker also "summon[s]" his memories as a court would summon jurors or witnesses. This motif shows how the speaker is judging his past and putting his memories on trial.
Finance (Motif)
The speaker of the poem frequently uses language related to finance and money: "precious," "expense," "account," "pay." The word "cancelled" also has a financial connotation: this term is used for a debt that has been paid in full. This motif draws attention to the costly nature of melancholy. Through death and the passage of time, experience causes a person to pay a heavy price. Yet the love the speaker has for the friend causes all of these "losses" to be "restored."
Death’s dateless night (symbol)
Death is symbolized by the image of a "dateless night." It is an unending nighttime.
