"Sonnet 29" is a poem written by the English poet and playwright William Shakespeare. It was most likely written in the 1590s, though it was not published until 1609. Like many of Shakespeare's sonnets, "Sonnet 29" is a love poem. It is also traditionally believed to have been written for a young man. Unlike some of Shakespeare's other love poems, however, which are concerned with physical beauty and erotic desire, "Sonnet 29" is about the power of love to positively affect one's mindset, as the poem argues that love offers compensation for the injuries and setbacks one endures in life.
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The Full Text of “Sonnet 29: When, in disgrace with fortune and men’s eyes”
1When, in disgrace with fortune and men’s eyes,
2I all alone beweep my outcast state,
3And trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries,
4And look upon myself and curse my fate,
5Wishing me like to one more rich in hope,
6Featured like him, like him with friends possessed,
7Desiring this man’s art and that man’s scope,
8With what I most enjoy contented least;
9Yet in these thoughts myself almost despising,
10Haply I think on thee, and then my state,
11Like to the lark at break of day arising
12From sullen earth sings hymns at heaven’s gate;
13 For thy sweet love remembered such wealth brings
14 That then I scorn to change my state with kings.
The Full Text of “Sonnet 29: When, in disgrace with fortune and men’s eyes”
1When, in disgrace with fortune and men’s eyes,
2I all alone beweep my outcast state,
3And trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries,
4And look upon myself and curse my fate,
5Wishing me like to one more rich in hope,
6Featured like him, like him with friends possessed,
7Desiring this man’s art and that man’s scope,
8With what I most enjoy contented least;
9Yet in these thoughts myself almost despising,
10Haply I think on thee, and then my state,
11Like to the lark at break of day arising
12From sullen earth sings hymns at heaven’s gate;
13 For thy sweet love remembered such wealth brings
14 That then I scorn to change my state with kings.
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“Sonnet 29: When, in disgrace with fortune and men’s eyes” Summary
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“Sonnet 29: When, in disgrace with fortune and men’s eyes” Themes
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Self-Pity, Isolation, and Despair
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Love and Wealth
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Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “Sonnet 29: When, in disgrace with fortune and men’s eyes”
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Lines 1-4
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, -
Lines 5-8
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; -
Lines 9-10
Yet in these thoughts myself almost despising,
Haply I think on thee, and then my state, -
Lines 11-12
Like to the lark at break of day arising
From sullen earth sings hymns at heaven’s gate; -
Lines 13-14
For thy sweet love remembered such wealth brings
That then I scorn to change my state with kings.
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“Sonnet 29: When, in disgrace with fortune and men’s eyes” Symbols
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Heaven
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The Lark
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“Sonnet 29: When, in disgrace with fortune and men’s eyes” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language
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Alliteration
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Apostrophe
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Caesura
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Diacope
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Enjambment
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Hyperbole
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Personification
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Simile
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Synecdoche
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“Sonnet 29: When, in disgrace with fortune and men’s eyes” Vocabulary
Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.
- Fortune
- Beweep
- Outcast
- State
- Bootless
- Hope
- Scope
- Contented
- Haply
- Lark
- Sullen
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Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “Sonnet 29: When, in disgrace with fortune and men’s eyes”
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Form
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Meter
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Rhyme Scheme
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“Sonnet 29: When, in disgrace with fortune and men’s eyes” Speaker
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“Sonnet 29: When, in disgrace with fortune and men’s eyes” Setting
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Literary and Historical Context of “Sonnet 29: When, in disgrace with fortune and men’s eyes”
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More “Sonnet 29: When, in disgrace with fortune and men’s eyes” Resources
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External Resources
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The Elizabethan Sonnet Sequence — An article from the British Literature Wiki covering the broad dynamics of the Elizabethan sonnet sequence, with special attention to Shakespeare's sequence.
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Sonnet 29 Read by Sir John Gielgud — Shakespearean actor Sir John Gielgud reads "Sonnet 29."
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When the Bard Had the Blues — Alicia Ostriker analyzes "Sonnet 29" and writes about how it has affected her approach to her own writing—and the struggles that come with writing.
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Lovers' Laments — Former US poet laureate Robert Pinsky writes about the sonnet craze of the 1590s.
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The Social Structure in Elizabethan England — Liza Picard describes the class system of Elizabethan England for the British Library.
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LitCharts on Other Poems by William Shakespeare
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