Sonnet 29 reveals the insecurities that trouble a speaker. He
feels unlucky, inadequate, and extremely jealous of those around him. The
speaker is introspective and also somewhat self-absorbed. The speaker also
seems upset with God because “heav’n” has been ignoring him. By the end of the
sonnet, the speaker emerges from his state of depression, claiming a mystery
person’s “sweet love” brings him happiness and makes him rich.
(Turns
out the Beatles were just quoting Shakespeare.)
I compared Sonnet 29 to Sonnet 50. Both 29 and 50 deal with themes
of depression, loneliness, and hopelessness. Sonnet 50 differs from 29 though,
because the speaker in sonnet 50 never finds a way out of the despair. The
speaker proclaims at the end, "My grief lies onward and my joy
behind." The speaker in sonnet 29 successfully climbs out of the dark
place by merely thinking about someone significant in his life. Maybe if the
speaker in sonnet 50 had a lover he wouldn't be as sad and lonely?
In Sonnet 29, the volta comes at line 9, where it switches from the speaker's
loneliness and depression to his sudden realization that he has someone who
loves him and who makes him happy. Yet in these thoughts myself almost
despising,/ Haply I think on thee (9-10). As I discussed this volta with
Nik, we noted the vagueness of the “thee.” In the couplet at the end, the
speaker repeats that it is “sweet love” that makes him feel rich and content.
So the question is, what kind of “sweet love” is he talking about? It appears
there are a few different options.
Platonic Love
Since the speaker moaned so much early on
about feeling "all alone" and not having any "friends," it
seems he could be talking about friendship here, as if he suddenly
remembers that he does have a friend after all: "thee."
Sexual Love
The article I read on Schmoop explained
that Shakespeare is playing around with a common conceit found
in courtly love poetry, where a lover is said to "worship"
his beloved. I also found an article using EBSCO,
and it focuses more on the historical context of Sonnet 29, rather
than straight content analysis. It expounds on Shakespeare’s feelings of
inadequacy and self-consciousness (rather than the speaker's)—specifically
about Edmund Spenser. Considering Shakespeare’s life, it’s likely he wrote this
sonnet romantically for another man.
Religious Love
On the other hand, the speaker talks about the addressee's
"sweet love" as if it's some kind of religious experience in lines
10-12. It appears that the speaker is no longer in a state of spiritual
despair by the end, but he doesn't seem to give God credit for it because the
speaker doesn't say that God has put him in a better mood. The speaker
avoids saying God's name (he uses the word "heaven"). He says
that thinking about "thee" makes him happy, so perhaps
"thee" could act as a representation for some sort of personal
spirituality or salvation.
The speaker could also be referring to either of the following:
Intellectual Love
Familial Love
Still, there isn’t enough information given to determine the
"thee" in this sonnet, so it’s up to the reader to decide.
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