By William Shakespeare
QUICK SUMMARY
Sonnet 29 explores despair, envy, and the transformative power of love. Shakespeare begins in emotional isolation and ends with renewed hope, discovering that love surpasses material success.
Full Poem: Sonnet 29 (1609)
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 possess’d,
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 thy sweet love remember’d such wealth brings*
* That then I scorn to change my state with kings.*
Originally published in the 1609 Quarto (1609) by William Shakespeare. Public domain.
Analysis
This sonnet captures one of the most intimate emotional arcs in Shakespeare’s work — from despair to joy, from isolation to love’s redemption.
Background and Context
Sonnet 29 appears early in the Fair Youth sequence, which celebrates affection and admiration for a young man whose presence inspires the poet. Unlike the calm reflection of Sonnet 18 or the philosophical tone of Sonnet 116, this poem begins in turmoil.
The speaker feels alienated — “in disgrace with fortune and men’s eyes.” In Elizabethan terms, that phrase meant both bad luck and public disapproval. He’s failed in worldly success, perhaps even reputation, and sees himself as an outcast. But through the poem, we witness one of Shakespeare’s most profound emotional shifts: love’s power to transform despair into gratitude.
Many readers see Sonnet 29 as semi-autobiographical, reflecting Shakespeare’s own struggles as an artist seeking recognition in a competitive London. Whether or not that’s true, the poem’s honesty makes it timeless.
The Descent into Despair
The opening lines plunge straight into self-pity:
“When in disgrace with fortune and men’s eyes,
I all alone beweep my outcast state.”
This first quatrain sets a bleak mood. The speaker is isolated not only from society but from heaven itself — his “bootless cries” (useless prayers) go unheard. Shakespeare’s diction is rich in emotional weight: “beweep,” “outcast,” “curse.” The rhythm slows with commas, mirroring heavy breathing and exhaustion.
The word “fortune” here refers both to fate and financial standing. The poet feels unlucky, unloved, and unworthy. Yet even in this misery, there’s beauty in the precision of the language. Shakespeare captures what depression often feels like — a sense of shouting into silence.
Envy and Self-Doubt
The second quatrain deepens this sense of dissatisfaction. The speaker begins to compare himself with others:
“Wishing me like to one more rich in hope,
Featured like him, like him with friends possess’d.”
He envies other men’s talent, beauty, and social connection — “this man’s art and that man’s scope.” These lines capture the universal tendency to measure our worth by what others have. Even what he “most enjoy[s]” brings him no satisfaction.
The repetition of “like him” conveys a spiral of envy — a restless search for validation that only worsens the despair. The syntax mirrors the mind’s racing comparisons. This section feels startlingly modern; it could describe the envy of fame, success, or social approval in any era.
The Turn: Remembering Love
The volta — the emotional turning point — arrives in line nine with a single word: “Yet.”
“Yet in these thoughts myself almost despising,
Haply I think on thee, and then my state…”
“Haply” means “by chance.” The transformation begins not through effort, but through the sudden recollection of love. The tone brightens immediately. The speaker’s “state” (both mood and condition) lifts like “the lark at break of day arising.”
The lark, a bird associated with dawn and joy, sings hymns “at heaven’s gate.” This metaphor reverses the first quatrain. The poet, once crying to a “deaf heaven,” now finds heaven open again through love. The emotional contrast gives the sonnet its power: despair is not erased but redeemed.
Love as Spiritual Renewal
In the final couplet, the poet reveals the source of his transformation:
“For thy sweet love remember’d such wealth brings
That then I scorn to change my state with kings.”
The phrase “thy sweet love remember’d” suggests that the beloved’s presence — or even the memory of it — restores the poet’s sense of worth. Love becomes a kind of inner wealth, more lasting than fame or fortune.
The simplicity of the couplet contrasts beautifully with the complex emotions before it. The diction shifts from complaint to calm certainty. No longer “cursing fate,” the speaker finds contentment so deep that even a king’s riches seem worthless by comparison.
This final image completes the emotional journey: the poet begins at rock bottom and ends at spiritual elevation.
Structure and Sound
Sonnet 29 follows the classic Shakespearean sonnet form — three quatrains and a couplet — with the rhyme scheme ABAB CDCD EFEF GG in iambic pentameter.
But what distinguishes it is its musical contrast. The first eight lines are heavy with stresses and pauses, echoing despair. When the lark appears in line 11, the rhythm lightens; the meter quickens and lifts. The poem’s sound mirrors its movement from sorrow to joy.
Notice how the consonant “l” recurs in “lark,” “love,” and “heaven’s gate,” softening the tone as hope returns. Shakespeare’s mastery of rhythm allows emotion to unfold not just in meaning, but in the very pulse of the verse.
Language and Imagery
The imagery in Sonnet 29 traces a vertical ascent — from the depths of despair to the heights of heaven. The first lines are earthbound: “all alone,” “outcast,” “curse my fate.” Then, in the turn, the poet rises — “the lark at break of day.” By the end, he’s at “heaven’s gate.”
This movement symbolizes the soul’s renewal through love. It’s not just emotional but spiritual. The shift from dark to light mirrors the psychological reality of depression lifting through connection.
The sonnet’s language of wealth — “rich in hope,” “such wealth brings,” “state with kings” — reinforces the metaphor of emotional prosperity. Shakespeare contrasts external fortune with internal richness, showing that love, not success, is the true measure of fulfillment.
Themes and Meaning
- Isolation and Connection: The poem begins with loneliness and ends with reconnection.
- Envy and Self-Acceptance: The speaker moves from comparison to contentment.
- The Power of Love: Love is portrayed not as romance alone, but as an act of restoration — a force that gives life meaning when all else fails.
- Faith and Gratitude: The “hymns at heaven’s gate” suggest that remembering love is itself a form of prayer.
Why It Still Matters
Sonnet 29 endures because it feels utterly human. Shakespeare captures the universal experience of feeling unworthy or unseen — and the equally universal power of love or friendship to restore hope.
For modern readers, the poem resonates beyond romantic love. “Thy sweet love” could mean anyone who reminds us of our worth — a partner, friend, or even an idea that rekindles purpose. The sonnet’s truth is that we all need something or someone to lift us “from sullen earth.”
Its psychological insight also feels centuries ahead of its time. Shakespeare shows that despair doesn’t disappear by denying it; it transforms when met with connection.
In the Context of the Sonnets
Within the larger sequence, Sonnet 29 sets an emotional foundation for the series. While later sonnets like 18 and 116 explore ideal or eternal love, this one portrays love as redemptive — a force that saves the self from despair.
It also balances the grander philosophical sonnets with personal vulnerability. Shakespeare, who often wrote about kings, heroes, and gods, here writes about a man alone with his thoughts — lifted not by glory but by gratitude.
Together with Sonnet 30 (“When to the sessions of sweet silent thought”), it forms a pair about memory, loss, and emotional renewal through love and friendship.