Shakespeare and When in Disgrace with Fortune and Men's Eyes

During his tenure as a poet and playwright, William Shakespeare penned over a hundred English sonnets, a form of poetry he helped create. His 29th sonnet, entitled When in Disgrace with Fortune and Men's Eyes, holds a general theme of love that is prevalent in many of his other sonnets. More particularly, Sonnet #29 discusses the underappreciated riches a true love can bring to your life and how this love can free a mind and soul from its torments.

The speaker in this sonnet takes the shape of an anonymous narrator. The dramatic situation of this poem is divided into three parts. The first four lines show that the narrator is in a condition of severe melancholy due to his bad luck and his relationships with other men. Although he "troubles deaf heaven" with cries, or prayers, they are not answered. The narrator cannot solve his angst so he is left to "look upon himself and curse his fate."

Lines five through eight showcase the narrator's desire to be in the proverbial "shoes" of anyone but himself. He would like to be a man that can deal with anguish because he is "rich in hope." He wishes to be "featured" like a man with many friends; this type of man would probably not be in the state the narrator is in. The narrator wants to have a desirable "art," or skill, and "scope," or range of mental or physical attributes. Furthermore, he does not want to experience anything he enjoys at that moment; the narrator wants to be as far from his unhappiness as possible.

In the final six lines that follow, lines nine through fourteen, the narrator has an epiphany. While he pities and despises himself, the narrator thinks about the woman he loves and happiness overcomes him. He realizes that the "wealth" that is brought to him in remembrance of this love is what he truly wants. At this moment, he "scorns to change his state with kings," meaning he does not want to live any other life if it involves giving up his true love.

The general statement of "When in Disgrace with Fortune and Men's Eyes" is that genuine love for another is an antidote for all problems. This genuine love should not go unappreciated because, in truth, it is the most priceless possession anyone can obtain. Do not be depressed with your life nor jealous of other's lives if you have someone who you have feelings for. The narrator had hit "rock bottom" yet thoughts of the woman he loved gave him strength to walk on.

The first four lines of William Shakespeare's Sonnet #29 contain visual, auditory and kinesthetic (human or animal movement) images. "Men's eyes" in line #1 is an example of visual imagery with negative connotation. The phrase is meant to evoke our sense of sight as we imagine countless pairs of eyes looking on us disgracefully. The word "beweep" is used in line #2 as a kinesthetic image to help us picture a grown man relentlessly wailing. Line three's "deaf heaven" visual image is interesting in the fact that Shakespeare used a normally positive image to convey a feeling of bleakness. "Bootless," in line three, is a visual image of someone without boots in the rain, slush or some other form of precipitate. This suggests that the narrator's cries are also hopeless. A few auditory images are scattered throughout the four lines such as "cries," "beweep" and "curse." All of these images have a negative connotation and work together to give the reader a feeling of wretchedness.

Lines five through eight include only one visual image. Line seven speaks about "art" as something that the narrator desires. This is a visual image of something that people during Shakespeare's time might consider jealousy-provoking, although "art" is actually used as a symbol for attractive skills within the sonnet. Thus, this image has positive connotation. Using the word "art" affects the overall statement of the poem by showing the narrator's longing to be someone else.

The final six lines contain visual, auditory and kinesthetic images. The first visual image comes with line #11 which says: "(Like to the lark at break of day arising)." The narrator compares the lark to his state of mind when he thinks of his love. This gives the reader the impression that he suddenly perks up like a bird when the sun begins to show itself. The line is also meant to refer to the next line: "From sullen earth sings hymns at heaven's gate." "Sullen earth" is written in reference to the narrator's gloomy condition and has a negative connotation. Yet, when he sees his love he is suddenly content with himself. This satisfaction is represented by the lark and the phrase "sings hymns." This is both an auditory and kinesthetic image. The act of singing is often looked upon as a sign of happiness and the sound that comes from "singing hymns" is joyous and jubilant. Heaven is again mentioned, this time in a more positive light. It is used in this case to give the reader a visual image of their interpretation of heaven, which is considered a blissful place. Most of these images have positive connotations and are meant to show the narrator's change in mood. They also build towards the ending line in which the narrator actually admits that he would hate to alter any aspects of his life; the woman is enough for him.

William Shakespeare used visual, auditory and kinesthetic imagery to convey his emotions in Sonnet #29. "When in Disgrace with Fortune and Men's Eyes" is a perfect example of a poem that can induce feelings from the reader just by careful word selection and placement. In this specific sonnet, Shakespeare makes you sympathize with the down-and-out narrator before lifting your spirits when he finally comprehends what is most important in his life.