The Sonnets of William Shakespeare
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,4 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--8 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.12 For thy sweet love remembered such wealth brings
That then I scorn* to change my state with kings.
VOCABULARY
state-- condition
beweep--to weep, mourn
bootless--futile, useless
like him--like another
haply--by chance, by luck
sullen--dismal, gloomy
scorn--to reject or dismiss as unworthy,
QUESTIONS
- A) Why does the poet "trouble" Heaven (in line 3)?
B) What help does Heaven offer him? - What kinds of men does the narrator envy?
- What causes the narrator's change of mood in the last few lines of the poem?
- In lines 11-12 the poet makes a reference to a "lark," a bird that sings at sunrise. Who or what does this bird symbolize? Explain the meaning of the simile Shakespeare employs.
- YOUR OPINION: What advice do YOU have for others who may feel depressed and down on their luck?
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