A Consolation -Sonnet 29 Analysis William Shakespeare
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A consolation
Sonnet 29-William Shakespeare
Sonnet 29 is one of the famous sonnets of Shakespeare and is the celebration of friendship with the Earl of Southampton.It is written in the typical Shakespearean sonnet form having 14 lines composed of three rhyming quatrains with a rhyming couplet at the end.In the In the first octave of the sonnet we can see the theme of self-pity, isolation and despair while in the second half the poet speaks about the rich compensation he has got .
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Poem Analysis
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 friends possessed,
Desiring this man’s art and that man’s scope,
With what I most enjoy contented least;
In the first octet, the poet is in depressed state and describing the emotional injuries of his mind .There is a tone of lamentation in the poem.The poet is feeling that he is in disgrace with fortune in terms of wealth, status and beauty and in the eyes of other men.He is considering his state has outcast.The poet is lamenting his forlorn condition.He is feeling alone and isolated from the society.The poet is weeping over his condition and he is praying to heaven for relief.But he feels that his complaints and protests are not heeded by heaven and hence he is using the word bootless cries to show that his cries are simply waste as they are not heard by anyone The poet says that even heaven is deaf to his cries.So all he could do is to curse his fate and wishing if only, he could be like all the other successful and rich ones.
The poet is comparing himself with all the other rich,talented and beautiful people in his society.The poet wishes if only he could be featured like other attractive men.He is envious of "this man's art" and that man's scope" indicates that he wants to be like them .The more he compares the more unhappy he is , as he is measuring his own worthiness in comparison to others.The poet wants to have more money,power and influence than others as he thinks that those are the only things valued in the eyes of society..The poem poses the question as to whether there are values other than beauty,wealth and social status that are worth in this society.Thus in the first 8 lines, the speaker lists a
series of anxieties and injuries, comparing himself negatively to
more prosperous, successful, and beautiful people. The speaker
thus suggests that his sense of self-worth depends on others
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;
In lines 9-10, the poem undergoes a major shift—both
grammatically and in terms of its content.The poet thinks about his sweet love and his mood transforms. Thinking of his sweet love,
he experiences something close to ecstasy: The poet is saying that his mental state is now similar to a lark
singing at the break of day. The lark is a traditional symbol of
morning and is a bird
that often greets the daybreak with song.It sings as it flies. This makes it a good
symbol for prayer as it travels upward from earth to the
heavens. The poet is metaphorically saying that just like a lark who rises from the sullen earth to sing hymns at the heaven's gate, the mental state of the poet has risen from despair to the state of heavenly freedom he compares his
mood to an exalted, almost religious music that breaks free of
the “sullen earth” and rises to heaven itself.
The speaker’s love
for his sweet love radically improves his mood and his self esteem. Love, here is not only improving the poet's general
well-being, but also offers a kind of compensation for the
misfortunes he has suffered. He may not have the wealth or
political status he desires, but his love offers him a different
form of riches. It can be seen that love not only improves mood of the poet , but also is transforming
him into a singing bird, and is reconciling him to the society
in which he lives.
For thy sweet love remembered such wealth brings
That then I scorn to change my state with kings.
In the last couplet of the sonnet we can see that the poet is stating that he hates to change his position to that of a king.The line echoes the comparison of love and wealth.The poet is not willing to give away his love for wealth.He feels love is more richer than any king and he is not ready to exchange that for anything.The final line of the poem—"then I scorn to
change my state with kings"—suggests that the speaker has
given up the obsession with other people's status and success
that marks lines 5-7: instead of seeking to improve his status,
he is content with what he has.The speaker has found an alternate form of value, something
that comforts him even when he's down and out.
Sonnet 29 as a celebration of friendship
Sonnet 29 written by William Shakespeare is famous for its theme of self-pity, isolation ,despair and love.When sonnet opens we can see that poet is feeling alone and friendless. As we move on further, the poet is speaking about the power of friendships during trials. Through the use of diction and tone, Shakespeare suggests that it is only with true friendship that one can overcome sadness.
In the beginning of the sonnet the poet is feeling that he is alone and is isolated from the society. The poet is feeling that he is in disgrace with fortune in terms of wealth, status and beauty and in the eyes of other men.He is considering his state has outcast. He is in depressed state and is describing the emotional injuries of his mind .But as we move on to the further lines of the poem we can see that the poet is having some inner reflection which makes him think of his sweet love.He is thinking about his sweet friendship and this thought alone is enough to lift him out of his depression.
The poem undergoes a major shift from lines 9 -12 both grammatically and in terms of its content.The poet thinks about his sweet love and his mood transforms. Thinking of his sweet love, he experiences something close to ecstasy. The mere thought of his 'sweet love' had made all the difference in his mental state .The change in poet's mood from isolation and despair to elated state shows that love itself can repair the injuries and
insults that he suffers. The poet is saying that his mental state is now similar to a lark singing at the break of day. The lark is a traditional symbol of morning and is a bird that often greets the daybreak with song.It sings as it flies. This makes it a good symbol for prayer as it travels upward from earth to the heavens. The poet is metaphorically saying that just like a lark who rises from the sullen earth to sing hymns at the heaven's gate, the mental state of the poet has risen from despair to the state of heavenly freedom he compares his mood to an exalted, almost religious music that breaks free of the “sullen earth” and rises to heaven itself.
T The speaker’s love for his sweet love radically improves his mood and his self esteem. Love, here is not only improving the poet's general well-being, but also offers a kind of compensation for the misfortunes he has suffered. He may not have the wealth or political status he desires, but his love offers him a different form of riches. It can be seen that love not only improves mood of the poet , but also is transforming him into a singing bird, and is reconciling him to the society in which he lives. The poet is stating that he hates to change his position to that of a king.The line echoes the comparison of love and wealth.
In the last couplet of the sonnet the poet is saying that he is not willing to give away his love for wealth.He feels love is more richer than any king and he is not ready to exchange that for anything.The final line of the poem—"then I scorn to change my state with kings"—suggests that the speaker has given up the obsession with other people's status and success that marks lines 5-7: instead of seeking to improve his status, he is content with what he has.The speaker has found an alternate form of value, something that comforts him even when he's down and out.The poet's friendship with this person is so powerful that it functions as his spiritual salvation.Thus sonnet 29 is a celebration of friendship.
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First sem Lesson 2- Sweets for Angels
First sem Lesson 3-Great Expectations
First sem Lesson 4-On Habits
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First semester English Chapter 2 All creatures great and small
First semester English Chapter 3 The Heart of a Tree
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First semester English Chapter 6 My Teacher
First semester English Chapter 8 A conversation with a reader
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