Name:_______________________________ Period: ________

Sonnet 29 (When in disgrace with Fortune….)

By 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 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 remember’d such wealth brings

That then I scorn to change my state with kings.

 Name: __________________________________ Period: ____________

Sonnet 29 (When in disgrace with Fortune….)

By William Shakespeare
Directions: Work to paraphrase the poem into its literal meaning,
identify the examples of figurative language and/or poetic devices, and
determine the tone of the poem and the poem’s theme.

How to analyze figurative language:

1. Identify and state the type of figurative language is being used.
(Simile, metaphor, personification, hyperbole, or alliteration)
2. Explain why it is an example of that device. If it is a
comparison, include both the tenor and the vehicle. The tenor is the subject of the comparison, the
vehicle is the image or idea that represents the subject.
3. Explain the idea the writer is expressing through the language. Don’t just define the term,
explain how and why it is used.

When in disgrace with Fortune and men’s eyes, Lines 1-4 (Vocabulary): Define the following:
Disgrace:
I all alone beweep my outcast state,
Bootless:
And trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries,
Fate:
And look upon myself, and curse my fate,
Beweep:
Label the rhyme scheme:

Line 1: Line 1:
Fortune is the Goddess of fortune and fate, who What does it mean to be “in disgrace” with “men’s
can raise men up or bring them down to despair eyes”? How are men looking at him?
with a spin of her wheel (think Wheel of Fortune).

What does it mean to be “in disgrace with

Fortune”?

Line 3 (Figurative Language): Line 4:

Type of figurative language: What is the speaker doing?

What is the speaker doing?

Make a prediction as to why the speaker could be
cursing his/her fate.
Why is heaven “deaf”?
 Name: __________________________________ Period: ____________

Wishing me like to one more rich in hope, Lines 5-8 (Vocabulary): Define the following:
Featur’d like him, like him with friends possess’d, Art (not the subject):
Desiring this man’s art and that man’s scope,
With what I most enjoy contented least; Scope:

Label the rhyme scheme: Contented:

Featured:

Line 5: Lines 6-7:

There are two possible ways of reading this line What four things does the speaker wish he had?
(pay attention to the words rich and hope). What 1.
are they?

1. 2.

3.
2.
4

Line 8 (Figurative Language): Lines 5-8:

A paradox is a statement that appears The speaker is not always the poet. Who could the
contradictory but is in fact true (Example: Nobody speaker be?
goes to that restaurant because it is too crowded.)

How is this line a paradox?

To whom could the speaker be talking to?

What is the tone of the poem up to this point?

 Name: __________________________________ Period: ____________

Yet in these thoughts myself almost despising, Lines 9-12 (Vocabulary): Define the following:
Haply:
Haply I think on thee, and then my state,
State (not like US states):
Like to the lark at break of day arising
Lark:
From sullen earth, sings hymns at heaven’s gate;
Sullen:
Label the rhyme scheme: Hymns:

Lines 9-12: Lines 11-12 (Figurative Language):

Where does the Volta occur? How do you know? What is the figurative language used?

Vehicle: Tenor:
What changes the speaker’s mood?
What is the effect of this comparison?

Lines 9-12: Lines 11-12:

Notice that the word sing appears three different Enjambment is when a line of poetry continues
times in this quatrain. Circle them above. onto the next line with no punctuation marks.
How does the enjambment mimic the lark?
What tone does the repetition of this word create?

For thy sweet love remember’d such wealth brings Lines 13-14 (Vocabulary): Define the
following:
That then I scorn to change my state with kings.
Scorn:

Label the rhyme scheme:

State (not like a US State):

Line 13: Line 14:

What makes the speaker “wealthy”? What wouldn’t the speaker want to do? Why?
 Name: __________________________________ Period: ____________

The poem overall

Who or what is the subject of this poem?

Who is the speaker of the poem? Remember, the speaker of the poem is not always the poet.

Pick two tone adjectives to describe the speaker’s attitude towards the subject.

Identify the poem’s central theme. What is the purpose of the poem overall? What is Shakespeare
suggesting about life?

The speaker of this sonnet says that the “sweet love” of some unnamed person (“thee”) makes him feel
like the luckiest guy in the world. What kind of “love” do you think he's talking about? Is it sexual?
Platonic? Something else? In other words, do you think this poem is addressed to a lover? A friend?
Explain with evidence.

The speaker spends a lot of time crying about how God doesn't pay attention to him or love him. The
funny thing is that the speaker never actually uses God's name, instead referring to “heav’n” or “heaven.”
Why do you think God is not actually mentioned?
 Name: __________________________________ Period: ____________

Sonnet 29 Answer Key

Quatrain 1: ABAB
Lines 1-4 Vocabulary: Disgrace = insult, bootless = useless, Fate= fortune or destiny, beweep=cry
Line 1: Bad luck and misfortune
Line 1: Other men don’t view him as a true man, they look at him with disdain
Line 3: Personification, comparing heaven to a person who can hear, Heaven (God) is not granting his
wishes, so heaven isn’t listening
Line 4: He is reflecting on his life and cursing his bad luck with nothing changing

Quatrain 2: CDCD
Lines 5-8 Vocab: Art=knowledge, scope=skill, contented=agreeable, featured=physical appearance
Line 5: Wanting more hope or being hopeful about being/getting money
Lines 6-7: Good looks, friends with money, knowledge, opportunities
Line 8: With all the things that make him happy, he should be, but he isn’t.
Lines 5-8: A man with bad luck. To his lover? Friend? God? Himself?

Quatrain 3: EFEF
Vocabulary: Haply= happily, lark=songbird, state=condition, sullen=gloomy
Lines 9-12: The volta occurs with the word Yet, which signifies a transition. Thinking about the beloved
changes his state of mind.
Lines 11-12: Simile, Vehicle = lark, tenor = state of mind. The speaker’s mood soars like the bird.
Lines 9-12: despising, arising, sings. Uplifting.
Lines 11-12: The sentence mimics the bird’s actions, implying that the speaker’s mood is now soaring
like the bird because he has thought of his beloved.

Couplet: GG
Vocabulary: Scorn=show contempt for, State=condition
Line 13: Remembering his love
Line 14: Change his position with a king because he is content with his life because of his beloved

Subject: Love

Speaker: We don’t know any personal details about the speaker, but it appears to be someone who is
down on their luck and has a beloved.

Tone: Despising to uplifting

Theme: Love has the power to overcome obstacles, There is a big difference between spiritual wealth
and economic wealth

Answers may vary for this question, but students should use textual evidence.

Answers may vary, but some possibilities are: The speaker is being spiteful since “heaven” was “deaf,” he
doesn’t want to take the Lord’s name in vain, He questions his beliefs and not mentioning God’s name
shows this.