Thursday, September 8, 2016

Sonnet 29 Analysis

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Sonnet 29 talks about a person (gender is not specified) that has been disappointed by life. They bemoan their "outcast state". They see the fortune of those around them and cannot see that same fortune in their own lives. God isn't answering their prayers, they feel alone, and they desperately want what other people have. Then, in a moment of despair, they conjure up the thought of their lover, and it gives their soul hope. They are able to lift themselves out of the state of self-pity and despair and recognize that while life may not be all that they hoped it would be, they have a love that allows them to be content with their state and find beauty and joy in the otherwise bleak landscape of their life.
This sonnet is beautiful because it voices what could be a universal affliction of comparison to others and the disappointment that we may feel by doing so. It's something that I struggle with and perhaps even Shakespeare struggled with it.
I believe that sonnet 106 is a good formative comparison to 29. I think that in both cases, the author is trying to emphasize something by heavily contrasting it. In 29, he describes, in depth, his state of solidarity and his "outcast state". This encompasses the first 9 lines of the sonnet, giving it an air of despondency. However, in the succeeding 3 lines, it's almost as if he is awoken out of his despondent state by the beauty of his lover, and then with the volta, he describes a love that is so great that it makes the previous ailments irrelevant, almost. He does the same in 106 by using contrast to highlight beauty. In the first 9 lines, he sets up the contrasting element. In the succeeding three lines, he describes his lover, and in the volta, he then combines the previous 2 ideas in a way to emphasize her beauty.
Sonnet 130 may not seem, at first, to contain similar content to sonnet 29, but I think with more than a casual glance, we can see the comparisons and similarities. Both describe an unusual love. Sonnet 29 entails a love that can give the lover a reason not to trade places with kings, even though his life, at times, seems bleak. It is a love that makes life worth living, even though that life may not be all that the person hoped it would be in their fondest dreams. In sonnet 130, there is also a loss of expectations, but a love that makes up for it. It mocks the idea of a perfect woman, perhaps in spite and perhaps with slight disappointment. The mistress of the speaker is not angelic, and perhaps her beauty could not be compared to the previously aforementioned wealth of kings. However, the love that the speaker holds for his subject makes up for the reality of the situation.

4 comments:

  1. I like your comment on the use of contrast to highlight beauty. I hadn't thought of the poems that way but the juxtaposition really illuminates the good things in life.

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  2. This reminds me of a quote from Sigmund Freud, “How bold one gets when one is sure of being loved.” I love that Sonnet 29 seems to capture this very thought. I think that a lot of us tend to compare ourselves and our lives with others' lives, which is never a good idea. But I feel like Shakespeare has a great message of hope, that love can bring "wealth" in ways that are very specific for each of us, and in ways that we cannot compare to anyone.

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  3. I enjoyed your observation of Sonnet 130 as being a loss of expectations. I've always been amused by this particular sonnet. To be honest, I've always wondered what the response of the lady in question was to this piece. If it were me, I think it would be some combination of irritation and feeling flattered. It would have been great to be a fly on the wall when Shakespeare first showed that sonnet to his mistress. :)

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  4. I enjoyed your observation of Sonnet 130 as being a loss of expectations. I've always been amused by this particular sonnet. To be honest, I've always wondered what the response of the lady in question was to this piece. If it were me, I think it would be some combination of irritation and feeling flattered. It would have been great to be a fly on the wall when Shakespeare first showed that sonnet to his mistress. :)

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