The Place 2 Be: Shakespeare's Sonnets

Critique of Sonnet 29

SHAKESPEARE’S SONNETS

Theme: Good Fortune v. Self-Worth
Content: Another excellent sonnet where the author paradoxically compares his lack of social good fortune with his self-worth and love of his subject.

When, in disgrace with fortune and men's eyes,
I all alone beweep my outcast state,
And trouble deaf heavenwith my bootless cries,
And look upon myself and curse my fate,

Just like Sonnet 25, the author uses f words to identify items that he is out of favour with. These are both social items with which he is at the mercy of others and divine items that he is also at the mercy of.

Possible pun on "sighs" in men's eyes.

Wishing me like to one more rich in hope,
Featured like him, like him with friends possessed,
Desiring this man's art and that man's scope,
With what I most enjoy contented least;

The author alludes to himself not being one of the world's most handsome men by wishing he was better featured like other men, and also not having as many friends as other men.

The tone of the author's state improves with Wishing and Desiring both containing an anagram of sing.

Yet in these thoughts myself almost despising,
Haply I think on thee, and then my state,
Like to the lark at break of day arising
From sullen earth, sings hymns at heaven's gate;

A further reference to the author seeing himself as a lark that has lowly beginnings and has risen sharply to the highest point, his poetry being likened to songs at heaven's gate.

The hims of Q2 morph to the hymns of Q3.

Having been crying to heaven about his lack of fortune in Q1 he is here singing at heaven's gate motivated by the love of his subject: on one plane he is at one extreme and on another plane he is at the other.

Having been in an outcast state in society in Q1 he is now in a happy state within his own personal love life.

After the anagrams of sing in Q3, the play on sing now fully develops with Despising containing the full word sing, which improves to arising that also contains the full word sing, then the explicit sing in the next line.

For thy sweet love remembered such wealth brings
That then I scorn to change my state with kings.

The sonnet superbly resolves to the author now dismissing any desire to change his state in society, even to the level of kings, as he is quite content with his priority being the personal love of his subject.

brings and kings conclude the play on sing by containing sing as an anagram, signifying that only real, explicit joy is to be found in Q3 with his love.