Resenting his bad luck, the poet envies the successful art of others and rattles off an impressive

catalogue of the ills and misfortunes of his life. His depression is derived from his being
separated from the young man, even more so because he envisions the youth in the company of
others while the poet is "all alone."
Stylistically, Sonnet 29 is typically Shakespearean in its form. he first eight lines, which begin
with "!hen," establish a conditional argument and show the poet"s frustration with his craft. he
last si# lines, e#pectedly beginning in line 9 with "$et" % similar to other sonnets" "&ut" % and
resolving the conditional argument, present a splendid image of a morning lark that "sings
hymns at heaven's gate." his image epitomi'es the poet"s delightful memory of his friendship
with the youth and compensates for the misfortunes he has lamented.
he uses of "state" unify the sonnet"s three different sections( the first eight lines, lines 9
through )2, and the concluding couplet, lines )* and )+. ,dditionally, the different meanings of
state % as a mood and as a lot in life % contrast the poet"s sense of a failed and defeated life to
his e#hilaration in recalling his friendship with the youth. -ne state, as represented in lines 2 and
)+, is his state of life. the other, in line )/, is his state of mind. 0ltimately, although the poet
plaintively wails his "outcast state" in line 2, by the end of the sonnet he has completely reversed
himself( ". . . 1 scorn to change my state with kings." 2emories of the young man re3uvenate his
spirits.
he poet repeats Sonnet 29"s theme, that memories of the youth are priceless compensations %
not only for many disappointments and unreali'ed hopes but for the loss of earlier friends( "&ut if
the while 1 think on thee, dear friend, 4 ,ll losses are restored and sorrows end." Stylistically,
Sonnet */ identically mirrors the preceding sonnet"s poetic form.
his sonnet is one of the most e#5uisitely crafted in the entire se5uence dealing with the poet"s
depression over the youth"s separation 6Sonnets 278*29. 1t includes an e#traordinary comple#ity
of sound patterns, including the effective use of alliteration % repetitive consonant sounds in a
series of words % for e#ample, both the "s" and "t" sounds in "sessions of sweet silent thought."
&ut alliteration is only one method poets use to enhance the melody of their work. Rhyme, of
course, is another device for doing this. , third is assonance % similar vowel sounds in accented
syllables % for e#ample, the short "e" sound in the phrases "!hen sessions" and
"remembrance". 1n this case, the short "e" sound helps unify the sonnet, for the assonant sound
both begins % "!hen" % and concludes % "end" % the sonnet.
:ontributing to the distinctive rhythm of Sonnet */"s lines is the variation of accents in the
normally iambic pentameter lines. ;or e#ample, line < has no obvious alternation of short and
long syllables. =5ual stress is placed on "weep afresh love"s long," with only slightly less stress
on "since," which follows this phrase. >ikewise, in line 7, "friends hid" and "death"s dateless
night" are e5ually stressed. his sonnet typifies why the Shakespeare of the sonnets is held to be
without rival in achieving rhythm, melody, and sound within the limited sonnet structure.
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%20Sonnets%20nal!sis%20and%20"riginal%20#e$t%20b!%20Sonnet%20Sonnet%20%0%20&
%20Cliffs'otes(mht)i$**0a+,m-+b.