Sonnet 29 by Willian Shakespeare Summary

In Sonnet 29, Shakespeare delves into the transformative power of love, contrasting the speaker’s descent into despair and self-loathing with the uplifting effect of his thoughts of his beloved.

The speaker begins by lamenting his outcast state, his pleas to heaven falling on deaf ears. He envies those who possess greater hope and optimism, wishing he could emulate their achievements and relationships. His self-deprecation deepens, and he finds himself dissatisfied even with things he once enjoyed.

However, as the speaker turns his thoughts to his loved one, a ray of hope emerges. The image of a lark rising from the earth at dawn, singing hymns of joy, symbolizes the speaker’s newfound transformation. His love becomes a source of immense wealth and happiness, so precious that he would not even exchange his lowly state for that of a king.

Sonnet 29 concludes with a powerful declaration of love’s transformative power, reminding us that even in the darkest of times, love can illuminate our path and bring us solace and joy.

Key Points

Author: William Shakespeare is considered to be one of the most important English-language writers. His plays and poems are read all over the world.

Form: Sonnet 130 is a sonnet, a fourteen-line poem that is contained within one stanza. The form that has become synonymous with the poet’s name. The English or Shakespearean sonnet is made up of three quatrains, or sets of four lines, and one concluding couplet, or set of two rhyming lines.

Speaker: The speaker of the sonnet is a character who feels outcast and in disgrace, both with fortune (or luck) and in the eyes of other people. This character could be a representation of Shakespeare himself, or a fictional persona.

Setting: The setting isn’t specified in the sonnet, but it’s clear that the speaker is in a state of despair and self-loathing, feeling alone and unhappy with their current state in life.

Theme: The theme of the sonnet is the power of love and memory to bring hope and happiness. Despite the speaker’s initial despair, thinking of a loved one brings them joy and makes them feel wealthy in a spiritual sense.

Plot: The sonnet starts with the speaker expressing their unhappiness and feelings of worthlessness. They wish they were more like others who seem happier and more successful. However, when they think of a loved one, their mood lifts and they feel happy and content, to the point where they wouldn’t change their state even with kings.

Tone: The tone of the sonnet is initially despairing and self-pitying, but it shifts to joyful and content when the speaker thinks of their loved one.

Style: Shakespeare’s style in this sonnet, as in many of his works, is characterized by rich imagery, metaphor, and tightly woven logic. For example, he uses the metaphor of a lark rising at dawn to describe the speaker’s mood lifting.

Message: The message of the sonnet is that love and the memory of a loved one can bring happiness and contentment, even in the face of despair and feelings of worthlessness. It suggests that spiritual wealth brought by love is more valuable than material wealth or social status.

Structure and Rhyme Scheme

Structure

The structure of Sonnet 29 follows the typical structure of a Shakespearean sonnet. It is composed of three quatrains (four-line stanzas) and a final couplet (two-line stanza). The quatrains often introduce a problem or question, while the couplet provides a resolution or answer.

Rhyme Scheme

The rhyme scheme of a Shakespearean sonnet is ABABCDCDEFEFGG. This means that the first and third lines of each quatrain rhyme with each other (A and C, D and F), as do the second and fourth lines (B and D, E and G). The final couplet (GG) also rhymes.

In the case of Sonnet 29, the rhyme scheme would look like this:

When, in disgrace with fortune and men’s eyes, (A)

I all alone beweep my outcast state, (B)

And trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries, (A)

And look upon myself and curse my fate, (B)

Wishing me like to one more rich in hope, ©

Featured like him, like him with friends possessed, (D)

Desiring this man’s art and that man’s scope, ©

With what I most enjoy contented least; (D)

Yet in these thoughts myself almost despising, (E)

Haply I think on thee, and then my state, (F)

Like to the lark at break of day arising (E)

From sullen earth sings hymns at heaven’s gate; (F)

For thy sweet love remembered such wealth brings (G)

That then I scorn to change my state with kings. (G)

This structure and rhyme scheme are characteristic of Shakespeare’s sonnets and are part of what gives them their musicality and emotional impact.

Word Meaning