LITERATURES OF THE WORLD (ENGLAND)

SONNET 116
& SONNET 29
By: WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
LITERATURES OF THE WORLD (ENGLAND)

William Shakespeare was an English poet, playwright,

and actor.
He was born on 26 April 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon.
Shakespeare is widely regarded as the greatest writer
in the English language and the world's pre-eminent
dramatist.
He is often called England's national poet and
nicknamed the Bard of Avon.
Altogether Shakespeare's works include 38 plays, 2
narrative poems, 154 sonnets, and a variety of other
poems.
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“Sonnet 29: When, in

disgrace with fortune and
men’s eyes”
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SONNET 29
1. When, in disgrace with fortune and men’s eyes,
2. I all alone beweep my outcast state,
3. And trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries,
4. And look upon myself and curse my fate,
5. Wishing me like to one more rich in hope,
6. Featured like him, like him with friends possessed,
7. Desiring this man’s art and that man’s scope,
8. With what I most enjoy contented least;
9. Yet in these thoughts myself almost despising,
10. Haply I think on thee, and then my state,
11. Like to the lark at break of day arising
12. From 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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FIRST QUATRAIN Mental and emotional suffering

1. When, in disgrace with fortune and men’s eyes, The idea of "God isn't listening"
2. I all alone beweep my outcast state, The feeling of being alone, nothing with his
3. And trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries, side
4. And look upon myself and curse my fate, Cursing all of his fate

SECOND QUATRAIN
4. Wishing me like to one more rich in hope,
Reflecting on his miserable conditions
5. Featured like him, like him with friends
He found himself being hopeless and envy
possessed,
6. Desiring this man’s art and that man’s scope, Comparisons that leads to self-pity
7. With what I most enjoy contented least; He then lost his passion
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THIRD QUATRAIN
9. Yet in these thoughts myself almost despising,
10. Haply I think on thee, and then my state,
11. Like to the lark at break of day arising
12. From sullen earth sings hymns at heaven’s gate;

Shifting of mood
The power of love
Love stands outside bitterness and misfortunes
COUPLET
13. For thy sweet love remembered such wealth brings
14. That then I scorn to change my state with kings.

Love is an irreplaceable wealth

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LITERARY ANALYSIS
FORM
Sonnet 29 is written in the usual form of Shakespearean sonnets.
It is composed of fourteen lines the meter used to write in iambic pentameter.
The first twelve lines make three quatrains, and the last two lines are in the form of a
couplet.
There are two distinct portions of the poem based on the thought they convey.
The first eight lines of the sonnet form the first portion and are called the octave.
The last six lines of the sonnet form the second portion and are called the sestet.
SPEAKER OF THE POEM
The speaker of the sonnet is a lover who is living in a miserable condition. He/she
reflects on his/her condition and describes his miseries. He is envious of other people
who have better skills and resources than him.
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LITERARY ANALYSIS
RHYME SCHEME
The rhyme scheme of the sonnet is ababcdcdefefgg. However, the difference in this
sonnet is that the “b” and “f” rhymes are identical.
METER
The meter used in this sonnet is iambic pentameter.
DICTION
The diction of the poem is made to suit the tone of the poem.
In the first section of the poem i.e., the octave, the tone of the poem is gloomy, and
the diction supports the tone.
In the last part of the poem i.e., the sestet, the tone of the poem alters and
becomes hopeful and cheerful.
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LITERARY ANALYSIS
LITERARY DEVICES USED IN SONNET 29
PERSONIFICATION
1. Deaf Heaven: In the third line of the poem, heaven is personified by linking the quality
of deafness with it.
2. Sullen Earth: In the twelfth line of the poem, the earth is personified by linking the
quality of being morose with it.
METAPHORS
In the thirteenth line of the poem, the word wealth stands for the happiness and love
of the speaker.
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LITERARY ANALYSIS
SIMILE
In the eleventh line of the poem, the speaker compares the shift in his mental state
with the morning songs of a lark by using the phrase “Like to the lark.”
HYPERBOLE
1. Outcast State - In the second line of the poem, the speaker describes his lack of social
connection by using the phrase “my outcast state.”
2. Change my state with kings - In the last line of the poem, the speaker claims that he is
so proud of his beloved thought that he will not be ready to let it go in return for a
whole kingdom.
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LITERARY ANALYSIS
ASSONANCE
Assonance is the repetition of the same vowel sound in a sentence in a poem. In the
following line of the poem, sound /i/ and /e/ is repeated:
“Wishing me like to one more rich in hope.”
“Haply I think on thee, and then my state”
CONSONANCE
Consonance is the repetition of the same consonant sound in a line in a poem. In the
poem, the sound /s/ is repeated in the following line:
“Yet in these thoughts myself almost despising”
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LITERARY ANALYSIS
ALLITERATION
The repetition of the same starting sounds in a line is called alliteration. In this poem,
alliteration is found in the following line:
Haply I think on thee, and then my state - (The sound /th/ is repeated in this line)
ENJAMBMENT
Enjambment is a literary device in which the thought in one line is continued into
another line.
In this poem, both the lines of the couplet continue the same thought.
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LITERARY ANALYSIS
SYNECDOCHE
Synecdoche is a literary device in which a part refers to a whole or a whole refers to its
part.
In the first line of the poem, the speaker uses the phrase “men’s eyes” to refer to
his belittling in society.
Here the speaker uses the word “eyes” to refer to the whole of humans.
PUN
The word “state” is used three times in the sonnet in three different meanings.
In the first line, it means the financial and social conditions of the speaker.
In the tenth line, this word refers to the mental state of the speaker.
In the last line, it is used to mean the kingdom of a king.
In this, there is a play on this word.
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“Sonnet 116: Let me not to

the marriage of true
minds”
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SONNET 116
1. Let me not to the marriage of true minds
2. Admit impediments. Love is not love
3. Which alters when it alteration finds,
4. Or bends with the remover to remove:
5. O no! it is an ever-fixed mark
6. That looks on tempests and is never shaken;
7. It is the star to every wandering bark,
8. Whose worth’s unknown, although his height be taken
9. Love’s not Time’s fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
10. Within his bending sickle’s compass come:
11. Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
12. But bears it out even to the edge of doom.
13. If this be error and upon me proved,
14. I never writ, nor no man ever loved.
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“Let me not to the marriage of true minds

Admit impediments.”

Marriage is a metaphor that is compared to true, real love. Shakespear is saying that there is no
reason why two people who truly love should not be together; nothing should stand in their way.

“Love is not love

Which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove:”

This tells us that love is unchanging. It does not change nor stop when one finds changes in the loved
one. Real love lasts forever.
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“O no! it is an ever-fixed mark

That looks on tempests and is never shaken;”

Shakespear tells us that love is constant. It remains the same, steadfast and true amidst
the greatest storms one encounters. He personified the intangible “love” because it is
something that can never be defeated by something tangible such as strong winds or
storms.

“It is the star to every wandering bark,

Whose worth’s unknown, although his height be taken”

Love is similar to the star that guides every ship in their journey. The winds and the waves
may redirect us and we find ourselves lost in the sea. The star, our love, will guide us and
shift us back. Love’s worth is unknown because it is immeasurable.
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“Love’s not Time’s fool, though rosy lips and cheeks

Within his bending sickle’s compass come:”

Shakespear gives emphasis on the “time” which can be represented as death. This tells us that even
death cannot separate us from the love we have for our loved one/s. Our physical body may die, but
our undying love for each other still remains.

“Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,

But bears it out even to the edge of doom.”

Love is not susceptible to time, just like the physical appearance of a person fades or ages over
time, but love is love, it will continue even until the end of the world.

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“If this be error and upon me proved,

I never writ, nor no man ever loved.”

Shakespear tells us that if the love defined in this sonnet is not true and inaccurate. Then he will let
go of his writing and he will accept that no one has ever experienced love in this world.

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LITERARY ANALYSIS
RHYME
Sonnet 116 has fourteen lines and a rhyme scheme ababcdcdefefgg - three quatrains and a
couplet. Most end rhymes are full except for lines 2 and 4: llove/remove, 10 and 12: come/doom
and 13 and 14: proved/loved.
(In Shakespeare’s time, some of these words may have had the same pronunciation.)
The first twelve lines build to a climax, asserting what love is by stating what it is not. The last
two lines introduce us to the first speaker, who suggests to the reader that if all the
aforementioned ‘proofs’ concerning love are invalid, then what’s the point of his writing and
what man has ever fallen in love.
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LITERARY ANALYSIS
METRE
Iambic pentameter predominates - ten syllables, five beats per line - but there are exceptions in
lines six, eight and twelve, where an extra beat at the end softens the emphasis in the first two
and strengthens it in the latter.
FORM
Sonnet 116 is a fourteen-line poetic form. An English sonnet, also known as Shakespearean
sonnet.
TONE
The tone of Sonnet 116 is firm, but caring. It is conveyed as guidance in the arrangement of
words that produces a voice in the reader's head.
DICTION
The diction Shakespeare has chosen in this sonnet is accurate in which lets the readers have the
sense of what is true love and what is not.
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LITERARY ANALYSIS
LITERARY DEVICES
Note the following:
Metaphor - love is an ever-fixèd mark and also love is the star.
in line five the words ever-fixèd mark - fixed is pronounced fix-ed, two syllables.
in line six the word tempest which means a violent storm.
in line seven the word bark which means ship.
in line ten the bending sickle's compass refers to the sharp metal curved tool used for
harvesting, that cuts off the head of ripe cereal with a circular swipe or swing. Similar to the
scythe used by the Grim Reaper.
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REFERENCES:
https://litpriest.com/poems/sonnet-29-summary/
https://www.litcharts.com/poetry/william-shakespeare/sonnet-29-when-in-disgrace-with-
fortune-and-men-s-eyes
https://owlcation.com/humanities/Summary-and-Analysis-of-Sonnet-116-by-William-
Shakespeare
https://poemanalysis.com/william-shakespeare/sonnet-116/
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BS PSYCHOLOGY 4-1