"Sonnet 33" is part of a group of Shakespeare's sonnets sometimes known as the "Fair Youth" sequence, which consists of poems addressed to a beautiful and beloved young nobleman. Likely written in the 1590s, this poem was first printed in 1609 in a collection dedicated to a mysterious "Mr. W.H." (whose identity remains uncertain to this day). The speaker of this sonnet is suffering from some serious disillusionment: the young man he loves has betrayed him. But the speaker is also doing his best to forgive his beloved. Even the almighty sun, the speaker reflects, is sometimes marred by clouds—so why should I be surprised that his lover, the sunshine of his life, has proven less than perfect, too? This complex, conflicted poem expresses both mature forgiveness and bitter disappointment.
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The Full Text of “Sonnet 33: Full many a glorious morning have I seen”
1Full many a glorious morning have I seen
2Flatter the mountain-tops with sovereign eye,
3Kissing with golden face the meadows green,
4Gilding pale streams with heavenly alchemy;
5Anon permit the basest clouds to ride
6With ugly rack on his celestial face,
7And from the forlorn world his visage hide,
8Stealing unseen to west with this disgrace.
9Even so my sun one early morn did shine
10With all-triumphant splendour on my brow;
11But out, alack! he was but one hour mine,
12The region cloud hath mask'd him from me now.
13Yet him for this my love no whit disdaineth;
14Suns of the world may stain when heaven's sun staineth.
The Full Text of “Sonnet 33: Full many a glorious morning have I seen”
1Full many a glorious morning have I seen
2Flatter the mountain-tops with sovereign eye,
3Kissing with golden face the meadows green,
4Gilding pale streams with heavenly alchemy;
5Anon permit the basest clouds to ride
6With ugly rack on his celestial face,
7And from the forlorn world his visage hide,
8Stealing unseen to west with this disgrace.
9Even so my sun one early morn did shine
10With all-triumphant splendour on my brow;
11But out, alack! he was but one hour mine,
12The region cloud hath mask'd him from me now.
13Yet him for this my love no whit disdaineth;
14Suns of the world may stain when heaven's sun staineth.
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“Sonnet 33: Full many a glorious morning have I seen” Summary
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“Sonnet 33: Full many a glorious morning have I seen” Themes
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Love and Forgiveness
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The Pain of Disappointment and Disillusionment
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Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “Sonnet 33: Full many a glorious morning have I seen”
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Lines 1-2
Full many a glorious morning have I seen
Flatter the mountain-tops with sovereign eye, -
Lines 3-4
Kissing with golden face the meadows green,
Gilding pale streams with heavenly alchemy; -
Lines 5-6
Anon permit the basest clouds to ride
With ugly rack on his celestial face, -
Lines 7-8
And from the forlorn world his visage hide,
Stealing unseen to west with this disgrace. -
Lines 9-12
Even so my sun one early morn did shine
With all-triumphant splendour on my brow;
But out, alack! he was but one hour mine,
The region cloud hath mask'd him from me now. -
Lines 13-14
Yet him for this my love no whit disdaineth;
Suns of the world may stain when heaven's sun staineth.
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“Sonnet 33: Full many a glorious morning have I seen” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language
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Consonance
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Assonance
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Imagery
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Personification
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Parallelism
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Pun
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Metaphor
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Alliteration
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“Sonnet 33: Full many a glorious morning have I seen” 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.
- Full many
- Sovereign
- Gilding
- Alchemy
- Anon
- Basest
- Rack
- Celestial
- Forlorn
- Visage
- Stealing
- All-triumphant
- Out, Alack!
- Region
- No Whit
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Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “Sonnet 33: Full many a glorious morning have I seen”
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Form
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Meter
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Rhyme Scheme
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“Sonnet 33: Full many a glorious morning have I seen” Speaker
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“Sonnet 33: Full many a glorious morning have I seen” Setting
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Literary and Historical Context of “Sonnet 33: Full many a glorious morning have I seen”
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More “Sonnet 33: Full many a glorious morning have I seen” Resources
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External Resources
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The Original Poem — Check out what the poem looked like when first published in 1609.
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The Poem Out Loud — Listen to the great Shakespearean actor Simon Russell Beale read this poem aloud.
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The Sonnet in Context — Read about how this poem might relate to some of the other sonnets in the "Fair Youth" sequence.
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The Fair Youth — Learn more about the "Fair Youth" sequence—the group of Shakespeare's sonnets addressed to a young man.
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A Short Biography — Learn more about Shakespeare's life and work.
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LitCharts on Other Poems by William Shakespeare
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