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The Annotated Edition

Sonnet 29 by William Shakespeare

Summary, meaning, line-by-line analysis & FAQ.

Read aloud in ~1 min

The speaker is having a terrible day—feeling like a failure, envious of those around him, and convinced that even God isn't paying attention.

Poet
William Shakespeare
Meter
iambic pentameter
Rhyme
ABAB CDCD EFEF GG
Themes
hope, identity, love
The PoemFull text

Sonnet 29

William Shakespeare

When in disgrace with fortune and men’s eyes I all alone beweep my outcast state, And trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries, And look upon myself, and curse my fate, Wishing me like to one more rich in hope, Featur’d like him, like him with friends possess’d, Desiring this man’s art, and that man’s scope, With what I most enjoy contented least; Yet in these thoughts my self almost despising, Haply I think on thee, and then my state, Like to the lark at break of day arising From sullen earth, sings hymns at heaven’s gate; For thy sweet love remember’d such wealth brings That then I scorn to change my state with kings.

Public domain

Sourced from Project Gutenberg

§01Quick summary

What this poem is about

The speaker is having a terrible day—feeling like a failure, envious of those around him, and convinced that even God isn't paying attention. But then he thinks of the person he loves, and in an instant, it all fades away: that one thought elevates him so much that he wouldn’t trade places with a king.

§02Themes

Recurring themes

§03Line by line

Stanza by stanza, with notes

  1. When in disgrace with fortune and men's eyes / I all alone beweep my outcast state,

    Editor's note

    The opening couplet paints a vivid picture: the speaker is struggling and feels alienated from the world around him. "Fortune" refers to both luck and social status, while "men's eyes" implies public scrutiny—others view him as a failure, and he accepts that judgment.

  2. And trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries, / And look upon myself, and curse my fate,

    Editor's note

    He's praying, but heaven isn't responding — "deaf" and "bootless" (meaning useless, leading him nowhere) show that he feels utterly abandoned, even by God. Cursing his fate marks his lowest point: he's directed his frustration inward.

  3. Wishing me like to one more rich in hope, / Featur'd like him, like him with friends possess'd,

    Editor's note

    Now comes the comparison spiral. He scans his surroundings, yearning for what other men possess: more promising prospects, better looks, and stronger social connections. The repeated "like him" echoes the restless, wandering gaze of someone unable to stop comparing themselves to others.

  4. Desiring this man's art, and that man's scope, / With what I most enjoy contented least;

    Editor's note

    He even envies the talents and opportunities that other men have. The most painful line here is the last one: the things he usually loves no longer provide him with any comfort. Depression has drained the joy from his typical pleasures.

  5. Yet in these thoughts my self almost despising, / Haply I think on thee, and then my state,

    Editor's note

    "Yet" is the turning point of the entire poem. At his lowest point — "almost despising" himself — a thought of the beloved emerges. "Haply" means by chance, which is significant: the rescue isn't deliberate or forced; it simply occurs naturally.

  6. Like to the lark at break of day arising / From sullen earth, sings hymns at heaven's gate;

    Editor's note

    This is one of Shakespeare's most striking images. The lark is celebrated for its uplifting dawn song, launching straight up from the ground into the sky. The speaker's mood mirrors this, lifting from the "sullen earth" (his misery) all the way to "heaven's gate," the very place that seemed unresponsive to him just moments before.

  7. For thy sweet love remember'd such wealth brings / That then I scorn to change my state with kings.

    Editor's note

    The closing couplet wraps up the argument effectively. The memory of being loved is a form of wealth that renders all other types of wealth insignificant. He begins the poem envious of ordinary men; by the end, he wouldn't trade lives with the most powerful people in the world.

§04Tone & mood

How this poem feels

The tone shifts smoothly from bleak to radiant. The first eight lines are heavy and self-critical — the language is packed with negatives ("bootless," "deaf," "contented least"). Then "Yet" changes everything, and the final six lines feel truly uplifting. It avoids sentimentality because Shakespeare earns the uplift: we've endured the misery long enough to genuinely appreciate the relief.

§05Symbols & metaphors

Symbols & metaphors

The lark
The lark rising at dawn is the poem's main image representing emotional transformation. Culturally, larks symbolize joy and morning; their upward flight makes them a fitting symbol for the soul reaching toward heaven. In this context, it conveys the abrupt and tangible change in the speaker's mood.
Deaf heaven
Heaven's deafness reflects the speaker's feeling of being spiritually abandoned. His prayers remain unanswered, which only heightens his sense of isolation. The irony is striking: by the poem's conclusion, his spirit arrives at "heaven's gate" — not by praying, but through love.
Wealth / kings
Material and political wealth act as the poem's yardstick for worldly success. The speaker starts off feeling impoverished in every way; he concludes by stating that love makes him richer than kings. The term "wealth" in the couplet intentionally reflects the financial language of envy mentioned earlier.
Sullen earth
The earth is "sullen" — gloomy, heavy, and lifeless — reflecting the speaker's feelings during the octave. This is the ground from which the lark (and the speaker's spirit) must break free, adding to the drama of their upward flight.
Fortune
Fortune in Elizabethan times referred to both luck and the goddess Fortuna, who controlled the ups and downs of people's fates through her wheel. When someone is "in disgrace with fortune," it means they are at the lowest point of that wheel, vulnerable to forces beyond their control.

§06Form & structure

Form & structure

Meter
iambic pentameter
Rhyme
ABAB CDCD EFEF GG

§07Historical context

Historical context

Shakespeare wrote his 154 sonnets mainly in the 1590s, but they didn’t see publication until 1609. Sonnet 29 is part of the first group (sonnets 1–126), directed at a young man often referred to as the "Fair Youth" — his true identity remains a mystery. In Elizabethan England, a rigid social hierarchy meant that a man's reputation, patronage, and social standing were crucial, which gives the speaker's feeling of being an "outcast" significant depth: this is more than just a bad mood; it’s a genuine fear of losing social and professional status. Shakespeare himself experienced professional instability, as theaters faced closures due to plague and Puritan opposition. The sonnet is structured in the English (Shakespearean) form, consisting of three quatrains followed by a closing couplet, all written in iambic pentameter with the rhyme scheme ABAB CDCD EFEF GG.

§08FAQ

Questions readers ask

Shakespeare never reveals the person's name. Most scholars think the sonnets in this sequence are meant for a young man, often referred to as the "Fair Youth," but we don’t know who he is. What matters in the poem isn’t the identity of this person but rather the effect of remembering them — it’s the remembrance of love, not the lover’s specific identity, that changes the speaker's mood.

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