A Brief Appreciation of Sonnet 29

【Abstract】： As known to all， Shakespeare’s sonnets are mainly eulogizing friendship and love， with Sonnet 1～Sonnet126 dedicated to a noble friend whose beauty is worthy of praising and Sonnet 127～Sonnet 152 addressed to a “Dark Lady”， probably the speaker’s lover. In Sonnet 29， the speaker has undergone a change of mind state from depression to cheerfulness. The transition occurred because the speaker thought of the friend， which gave him great strength and hope to get rid of his negative mood. Thus， the poet praised the magic power of true friendship.

【Key Words】：Sonnet 29， appreciation， friendship

As the greatest playwright and poet of the Renaissance period， William Shakespeare had created many works in his life including 37 plays， 154 sonnets， two long poems and some other poems. The four great tragedies Hamlet， Othello， King Lear and Macbeth are praised as his greatest achievements. Though Shakespeare is prestigious for his plays， his sonnets cannot be overshadowed. With deep emotion and delicate diction， Shakespeare eulogizes friendship and love in his sonnets. Sonnet 29 is a typical one praising the great power of friendship.

Appreciation of Content

Sonnet 29

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 rising

From sullen earth， sings hymns at heaven’s gate.

For thy sweet love remembered such wealth brings

That then I scorn to change my state with kings.

Same as most other sonnets by Shakespeare， this sonnet has a typical form of Shakespearean sonnet， comprising three quatrains and a final couplet with a rhyming scheme of “a b a b， c d c d， e f e f， g g.” Structurally， it can be divided into two parts. The first eight lines describe the misfortunes of the speaker. He was discarded by people and fate， so he cried over his miserable situation， being homeless and friendless. Then he begged God for help but Him did not listen. Confronted with such terrible condition， he cursed his own fate. After crying over his own luckless fate， he began to admire others who possessed friends， skills and knowledge， wishing himself to be just like others. But the reality was still so cruel. Just at this moment， he thought of the friend. The next six lines turn the poem to a very different direction. His memory of the friend lifted him instantly out of his misery and his spirit flied happily to heaven， like a skylark， in heavenly bliss. He was so happy to have “thy sweet love” that he refused to change place with a king.

Appreciation of Theme

Friends were the most powerful support for a man trapped in a plight. Even though the friend was not right beside him， only the thought of the friend could refuel him with great confidence. This confidence made him feel like to be superior to kings and he even showed contempt to kings. The “sweet love” was not the romantic relationship between men and women since this poem was dedicated to the noble friend， so it should be the encouragement and praise in previous times. In the Petrarchan tradition， sonnets are usually written to a young lady and they use many rhetorical devices （metaphors and similes） to praise her beauty or persuade her to seize time and enjoy life. Though Shakespeare’s sonnets are written to a male young aristocrat， probably his patron， he retains a great deal of the conventions of love sonnets. The praise in this poem will be pleasing to a young women as well as to a young man. Anyone will be overjoyed to hear that he has such great importance in another person’s life.

In the first two quatrains， the poet put emphasis on the speaker’s negative emotions， his desperation and dismay， setting the poem in a sad mood. Then in the third quatrain and the final couplet， the tone was changed into a confident one. The sudden change of tone brings readers a sudden change of feelings， strongly experiencing the magic power of friendship. Also， it could make readers imagine what kind of person the friend would be like. The friend must have encouraged the speaker a lot， supporting and praising the speaker， to enable him to always find his own merits and cheer up in adversity.

Appreciation of Imagery

While reading the poem quatrain by quatrain， its rich imagery could also impress readers a lot. The images in lines 9 ～ 12 play an important part in the sonnet as it changes the tone of the sonnet. The first eight lines described a great deal of misfortune and desperation. However， when the speaker mentioned his love， the readers begin to feel how the power and spirit of love can be transformative. The speaker compared himself to “the lark at the break of day arising”. In traditional sense， “lark” sings beautifully， signifying joy and happiness. Also， “the break of day rising” indicates that after a night of misery the speaker finally ushered in the light of hope. The vivid image of a lark singing in the tree during the daybreak immediately occurred in readers mind， further strengthening a sense of resonance for readers.

Conclusion

By studying the quatrains of this sonnet， we can feel what the speaker felt， understanding his transition of emotion. It is certain that this poem was not written to lament his bad luck and envy others’ knowledge but to praise the greatness of genuine friendship. After reading the sonnet， readers would also feel grateful to their friends who give them strength and help them through hard times.

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