Shakespeare Project
Sonnet 29
Passage
When, in disgrace with fortune and men's eyes,
I all alone beweep my outcast state,
And trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries,
And look upon myself and curse my fate,
Wishing me like to one more rich in hope,
Featured like him, like him with friend's possessed,
Desiring this man's art and that man's scope,
With what I most enjoy contented least;
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;
For they sweet love remembered such wealth brings
That then I scorn to change my state with kings.
Why did I choose Sonnet 29?
William Shakespeare’s Sonnet 29 deeply resonates with me. I am part of a crew team and we have a rigorous training program; during the winter season, we engage in ninety-minute-long, intense exercises 5 days a week to get ready for the spring racing season. After each practice, my rowing machine score is ranked against my teammates' scores. I have found that it is hard not to compare myself to my peers, especially because my score on the rowing machine is extremely important and—if good enough—has the potential to even help my college application process. Sometimes I lose track of the important part—that I should only be focused on trying to do better than my previous scores—and begin to measure myself against friends. Though I do not “despise” myself after a less-than-satisfactory practice, as Shakespeare writes in this sonnet,
I do feel disappointed and find myself wishing for some of my teammates’ skills and strength, much like the speaker in Sonnet 29 wishes for other men’s “art” and “scope.” I understand the feeling that Shakespeare describes of a songbird arising from the dull- colored earth. When I am feeling disheartened after a practice, I am eventually reminded of how much I actually love this sport, despite the painful workouts. That passion that I feel for crew and the dedication that I have to working hard carries me through even the most intense workouts and boosts my mood after the most disappointing days. Like the speaker in Shakespeare’s sonnet, I then “scorn” the idea of changing my position with anyone else.
What do the last six lines -- the "sestet" -- mean? Why are they significant?
William Shakespeare’s Sonnet 29 describes, with intricate detail and through powerful literary devices, the complete transformation of the speaker’s mood after he happens to think of his beloved. Before the sestet, Shakespeare uses imagery and powerful verbs like “curse,” “beweep” and “trouble” to paint the picture of someone on the brink of falling into a pit of self-hatred. But at the beginning of the sestet, Shakespeare uses the word “yet” to indicate a sea-change. By contrasting the word “despising” with the hopeful word “arising,” Shakespeare indicates that the speaker’s mood has lifted when he “haply" thinks of his beloved. He uses a simile to further illustrate the person’s newfound cheerfulness: “Like to the lark at break of day arising / From sullen earth, sings hymns at heaven's gate.” This line compares the speaker to a songbird and his depression to the gloomy earth. Separating the speaker from his depression, as the bird arises from the ground, is an indication to the audience that the speaker’s feelings have truly been transformed since the beginning of the sonnet. The imagery of singing hymns at heaven’s gate connects back to Shakespeare’s earlier line about troubling heaven with the speaker’s useless cries. Now, instead of crying, the speaker is singing beautiful music to heaven. This juxtaposition shows how colossal an impact the speaker’s beloved had on his mood and sense of self-worth. Shakespeare’s final two lines tie back to a previous line about the speaker wanting to be rich in hope. Not only is he rich in hope by the end of the sonnet; he is full of love. This shows the audience that, in fact, the speaker is quite wealthy in terms of spiritual riches: “For thy sweet love remembered such wealth brings.” This powerful close perfectly mirrors the theme of this sonnet: that love is extremely powerful, potent enough to completely change a person.
