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29th Sonnet: Friendship and Darkness in the Human Condition 29. William Shakespeare's collection of sonnets was first published in quarto, in 1609, by Thomas Thorpe. That collection, 154 pieces in all, still ranks today among the greatest examples of poetic literature in the world. Shakespeare's sonnets were a brand apart from others of the era, notably in the writer's choice of "a beautiful young man (rather than a lady), as the principal object of praise, love and idealizing devotion, and in his portrait of a dark, sensuous, and sexually promiscuous mistress (rather than the usual chaste and aloof blond beauty)" (Abrams 494). Also the themes of these sonnets ranged well beyond the standard Petrarchan lover's lament which held popularity at that time, venturing into realms of sadness, despondency, fear, irony, and even disgust as they attempt to chronicle that which makes us human. The 29th sonnet is notable for its expression of some of these darker ideas and examination of human shortcomings, as well as for its beautifully accurate way in which it champions the wealth of true friendship. Shakespeare had a gift for storytelling, but also an amazing grasp of the human condition; he knew what makes people "tick," and how to say just what he intended to in a manner that was, and has remained, accessible. This proves itself in the fact that his work has survived through the centuries as it has. If anything, it seems he has only become more famous in the time since his death. The third child of John and Mary Shakespeare, William was the first to survive infancy. His father was a prominent town official in Stratford, where he had climbed the sociopolitical ladder from his beginnings as a tradesman partly due to a large inheritance his wife received at the demise of her father. William probably attended the local Grammar school, where he would have learned Latin, until being withdrawn around the time he was thirteen as a result of his father's monetary shortcomings. At age 18, William married Anne Hathaway, who was 26 and pregnant. By the time he was 21, they had three children. There is no record of when Shakespeare first moved to London, but it appears that he began his theatre career as a player in the shows. The first official note we have of him, in fact, is his defamation at the hand of playwright Robert Greene in 1592 (see page 3). That same year, Shakespeare published his epic poem Venus and Adonis, with an appeal for patronage to the Earl of Southampton. The poem was well received by the public, and apparently by the Earl as well, as he is thanked in the dedication of the author's next poem, The Rape of Lucrece. His sonnet collection is thought to have been written largely during this time and in the next two or three years. In 1594 the theatres re-opened, and Shakespeare began to gain success as an actor and then as a playwright. He continued to write steadily, living in London, until about 1610. A court document of 1612 refers to him as a resident of Stratford, where he passed away in 1616 (Denault 05). Shakespeare did not give any of his sonnets titles; rather, they have become labeled by their numbers, as published in Thorpe's quarto edition. Most would be better recognized by their opening lines, which is how they are generally listed in publications today. Of the 154 total poems, it is a commonly held critical opinion that numbers 1 - 126 concern the aforementioned young man; sonnets 127 - 152 address the "dark mistress," and sonnets 153 – 154 are fairly free adaptations of two classical Greek poems (Johnston 01). The collection as a whole deals with a wide range of primary topics, but there is a background theme that may be seen as the true focus of Shakespeare's sonnets in their entirety. This is the exploration of the human spirit—of our ups and downs, our loves, our hatred, and our magnificent appreciation of beauty nearly wherever it may be found. Many scholars have seen in Shakespeare's sonnets a revealing insight into the biography of the writer himself. Indeed, the pieces are written in the first-person, some of them concern a poet, and there is mention of a person named Will (Douglas 15). Any writing offers at least some insight to the nature of the author. Continuities between Shakespeare's life and his sonnets are inevitable; debate over whom the sonnets are about, if any real people at all, has gone on ever since their publication and shows no sign of forthcoming resolution (Johnston 02). The 29th sonnet can be fitted in with the "biographical" theory rather well; its approximate dating coincides with the closure of London's theatres due to plague in 1592. Shakespeare was out of work as a player, which one would assume he was less than pleased about. Also in 1592, there came a vicious literary attack on the young author by famed dramatist Robert Greene, who wrote in a deathbed diary that Shakespeare was an "upstart crow" (Mabillard 02). Aside from providing somewhat plausible evidence for the "biographical" thematic explanation, the 29th sonnet is one of the most poignant in that entire collection. It focuses on the darker side of human emotion; it carries the reader into the depths of weakness and self-loathing despair, then through, to the light that may be seen only after one has braved darkness. An in-depth overview of each line in the piece offers new insights to Shakespeare's stunning ability with words, his natural talent for imbuing in verse a meaning which the reader must truly consider before it may become clear.
The poem begins in an opening tone of sour and squalid flavor. Most readers can identify with this, having at least felt ourselves disgraced once or twice, even if we have not been. This theme continues in the next lines,
serving to further connect the narrator with the reader; we have most likely all felt like crying to the heavens over our woes at times if we have not actually done so—and often as not, they do seem to turn a deaf ear. Bringing the heavenly aspect into play also widens the scope of the piece a bit. The word, heaven, has connotations of eternity, the spirit, and supernatural forces. Next, Shakespeare moves the view beyond the speaker, by having that speaker look at him self. The reader is then likely to do the same, or at least to be reminded of having done so.
Self despite is a common tendency for humans when things aren't going their best; Shakespeare was aware of this, and perhaps of the response it might inspire in an audience. The next lines begin to compare the narrator to those "more fortunate" people around him,
again, familiar ground for nearly any human. The sixth line sounds as though the narrator is only wishing for more desirable social status, and better looks but the word possessed should be paid special attention to. Friends are not possessions; nor are the two interchangeable, a truth which is very important to this poem. Not to be overlooked is the beginning of this line, as it goes hand-in-hand with the thrust of the latter portion. It is a common human trait to wish for physical beauty, and to notice how attractive people are always surrounded by others. In the cases where such an effect may be observed, the "friends" who habitually flock to a pretty face are nowhere to be found if and when that beauty disappears. Line 6 could be read as stating that the friends of beautiful people are accessories. And, as most of us are aware, accessories are generally pretty cheap.
Line 7 helps to further acclimatize the reader with the speaker's thoughts. He sees in others the abilities and vision he himself feels lacking, and wishes he had them. This is, perhaps, one of the most common of all human traits: the envy of whatever others may have that one does not.
The 8th line has been labeled as a "stunning moment of self analysis" (Vendler 163) in which the speaker reinforces his own negativity. It has been called "paradoxical," showing a speaker whose greatest dissatisfaction is that which he most enjoys (Ellrodt 16). This line could also be read as ironic in its own manner, commenting on earlier lines, and referring to the poem's ending, via the emptiness that can come to permeate the lives of ostensibly successful people. As we unfortunately often come to see in the stories of our celebrities, people of great "art" and "scope" can be morally and/or emotionally vapid just as much as anyone else. The progress of their success can sometimes be mirrored by the decrease of their enjoyment in what originally got them to where they are.
This is the fulcrum point of the piece; where tonal change begins to happen, hinging upon the first word of the line, Yet. Yet indicates the coming of something different, much the way that but is sometimes able. The change of tone continues
in the next line, as the speaker once more moves focus outside him self. This poem is among those generally considered to address the young man, who, then, is most likely the personage indicated by "thee" (MacInnes 15). This is an important fact, in regards to the poem's last lines. When "love" is used in line 13, and "kings" are referenced in the closing, exactly who is meant by "thee" becomes almost crucial to one's reading of the sonnet.
Lines 11 and 12 continue the widening of narrative scope, likening the speaker's state (spirits) to a soaring bird, and once more mentioning heaven, this time in a radically different sense. This cyclic use of imagery, including the reversal of tone in the word heaven, can be read as a very subtle reminder of who is speaking. By using "heaven" once more, Shakespeare helps keep the reader aware—at the very least subconsciously—that the only thing which has truly changed is who the speaker is thinking about. The last lines two of this, like many "English" sonnets, are the truly important ones. This is where all the real action takes place.
Line 13 connects to line 10 via the words "thee" and "thy." The sonnet gives no indication that those words do not refer to the same person, in this case most likely Shakespeare's Young Man. Is line 13, then, indicative of homosexual love? This has been suggested numerous times, and the piece could definitely be read that way. Line 14 could be said to state that being secretly in love with another man is better than being king, a dangerous statement to make in the 16th century. However, there is no reference to the addressee's gender at any point, leaving the reader free to decide for themselves what exactly is being said. This, in and of itself, could have been a brilliant move on Shakespeare's part to evoke discussion over the work, thereby increasing both its sales and his own notoriety. Another way to read this would be that the speaker is talking about the love of true friendship; about a friend whom he loves so dearly that the very thought of them is enough to pull him from his depression. This refers back to line 6, in which the speaker is listing the qualities of those "more fortunate" than himself. When he says "with friends possessed," the word "possessed" being a possible irony directed at the very individual the speaker is wishing he were more like. People in the upper echelons of society are more commonly enviable than the standard working man. They have more physical wealth, more obvious panache and wit (easily misread as talent, or vision), and appear to have many more friends. However, these people are historically shown to be involved in nearly constant deceit and treachery. It is not uncommon for people of court, or of much wealth, to kill off rivals even within their own families. History shows us that this is even more so the case with royalty. Friends, for such individuals, could be called possessions, or perhaps lackeys, and are often there only when it is profitable for them to be so. An exiled king has no courtiers, in general. If the speaker of sonnet 29 is indeed addressing a friend, then the final comparison to kings becomes even more poignant, as well as pointed. Given that "kings," rather than queens, are those with whom the speaker would not change states, it can be easily read that the speaker is a man. The use of this friend not only provides the fulcrum for this poem's turning point, but also makes room for Shakespeare to exercise a pointed wit, and heighten the intellectual enjoyment of his writing. Only after some consideration does it become evident how well the words used in the piece fit the theme of despair, desire, and value of true friendship. True friends are not possessions, and they do not value you for your wealth. True friends are still by your side when things look bleak, and sometimes remembering that can be what saves. Beside the love of one impoverished but true friend, the state of kings commands very little envy when you really think about it. Works Cited Shakespeare, William. “Sonnet 29: When in disgrace with fortune and men’s eyes” The Norton Anthology of English Literature 7th ed. Ed. M.H. Abrams, New York: W. W. Norton & Company 2001. 497 Clark, Madeleine. “The Eternal Self in Shakespeare’s Sonnets” Sunrise Magazine 07/1982 Theosophical University Press. 11/12/02 <http://www.theosophy-nw.org/theosnw/arts/ar-mclk3.htm>. Denault, Leigh T. “Introducing Mr. William Shakespeare: A Brief Biography of the Bard of Avon” Rivendell Educational Archives Online 2002. 11/27/02 <http://www.watson.org/%7Eleigh/shakespeare.html>. Douglas, Lord Alfred. The True History of Shakespeare’s Sonnets New York: Kennicat Press 1933, 1970. Ellrodt, Robert. “Shakespeare the non-dramatic poet” The Cambridge Companion to Shakespeare Studies Cambridge, U.K.: Cambridge University Press 1986. Johnston, Ian. “A Note on Shakespeare’s Sonnets” Malaspina University College 08/02/99. 11/27/02 <http://www.mala.bc.ca/~johnstoi/eng366/sonnets.htm>. Mabillard, Amanda. “An Analysis of Shakespeare’s Sonnet 29” Shakespeare Online 2000. 11/29/02 <http://www.shakespeareonline.com/sonnets/29detail.asp>. MacInnes, Ian. “Cheerful Girls and Willing Boys” Early Modern Literature Studies 6.2 09/00. 11/28/02 <http://purl.oclc.org/emls/06-2/macissonn.htm>. Vendler, Helen. The Art of Shakespeare’s Sonnets Cambridge: President and Fellows of Harvard College 1997. Watson, Thomas Ramsey. “Shakespeare’s Sonnet 29” Washington Explicator 46. no. 1, 1986. 11/08/02 <http://firstsearch.oclc.org>. Nominated by David Mount, English Department |
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