When, in Disgrace with Fortune and Men’s Eyes

by William Shakespeare (1564 – 1616)

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,

Featured like him, like him with friends possessed,

Desiring this man’s art, and that man’s scope,

With what I most enjoy contented least,

Yet in these thoughts myself 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 rememb’red such wealth brings

That then I scorn to change my state with kings.

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,

Featured like him, like him with friends possessed,

Desiring this man’s art, and that man’s scope,

With what I most enjoy contented least,

Yet in these thoughts myself 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 rememb’red such wealth brings

That then I scorn to change my state with kings.

turn

This is a traditional English Sonnet written in iambic pentameter

resolving couplet

3 Rhyming quatrains

Also known as Sonnet 29

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,

Featured like him, like him with friends possessed,

Desiring this man’s art, and that man’s scope,

With what I most enjoy contented least,

Yet in these thoughts myself 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 rememb’red such wealth brings

That then I scorn to change my state with kings.

The capitalization of Fortune creates the definition of Fate or Luck although it carries the connotation of wealth as well.

Possessed: to have or to be controlled by? Do we collect friends, what controls who and why we are friends?

Paradox – can you be discontent with what you enjoy most? Where do we place our treasures and do they really bring us joy?

Personification of heaven turning a deaf ear pares with the word outcast creating a lonely feeling.

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,

Featured like him, like him with friends possessed,

Desiring this man’s art, and that man’s scope,

With what I most enjoy contented least,

Yet in these thoughts myself 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 rememb’red such wealth brings

That then I scorn to change my state with kings.

dispair

elation

Mo

od

/T

on

e

turn

Allusion – Satan was outcast from Heaven, creating hell. This poem was written during a difficult time in Shakespeare’s life.

Synecdoche – men’s eyes for mankind – adds personification to Fortune as well

Visual Imagery of a bird rising out of the meadow – not only the break of day casting away shadows of the day, but the lark bursts forth from

the meadow rising to new hights

Literary Devices – Shakespear’s sonnets are rich in wordplay

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,

Featured like him, like him with friends possessed,

Desiring this man’s art, and that man’s scope,

With what I most enjoy contented least,

Yet in these thoughts myself 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 rememb’red such wealth brings

That then I scorn to change my state with kings.

Definitions – denotation/connotation

Riches / Fate

futile

Appearance / displayed

Having / controlled

Joyfully / Luckily - fate

Aesthetic object / Elizabethan “To be”

influence

Condition of being / social position

Shakespeare’s play on words created layers to his poems giving them depth and inviting you to discover his secrets.

Paraphrased

When I am wallowing in self pity, wishing I was as talented, rich, and respected as others I admire, I remember my maker and the love he has for me, and I realize that I am one of the richest persons on earth.

This poem addresses a mental trap that nearly every man can

relate to, the feeling of self-worth.

We are warned against the perils of comparing ourselves to others.

Too often we compare the worst we see in ourselves against the best

we see in everyone else.

“Desiring this man’s art, and that man’s scope” We wish we were as

talented as that person, or as popular as another, or frequently the

saying refers to the attempt to ‘keep up with the Jones’.”

“Haply I think on thee...” If we will instead look on Christ and his

love for us as a child of God, we recognize that we have been blessed

with individual talents and gifts for our own benefit and that of

others.

Even in our worst state we have been richly blessed with the

opportunity to come to this earth. And if we have been blessed with

the gospel,“I scorn to change my state with kings.” There is no

treasure that would be worth trading our ‘state’ for.

My Personal Interpretation:

“The meaning of the word "state," which appears three times, metamorphoses with each new occurrence: in line 2, the significance of "my outcast state," is defined for us-it is the condition the speaker sees himself in: deprived of both luck and social status. As a repetition of the same rhymeword, in line 10, the singing "state" refers to the speaker's mindset. The third time "my state" acts as a parallel to a monarch's state or kingdom. The poet's outcast state, within this royal image, comes to signify exile, which he nevertheless prefers. . . . If we identify the speaker in this sonnet (as we do in all the others) with Shakespeare himself, we must wonder whether he was presenting us with a case history of manic depression, or had perhaps suffered from it himself. At any rate, his depiction of the malady goes a long way toward explaining the bard's grasp of the volatile, self-destructive natures of his tragic heroes and heroines.” Frank, Bernhard. “Shakespeare’s ‘Sonnet 29’.” Explicator. 64.3 (2006) Spring: 136-137. 2006. LION. Web. 5

Feb 2011

Excerpt of an explication by Frank Bernhard, emeritus professor of English at Buffalo State College

Shakespeare’s ‘Sonnet 29’