Shakespeare
Introduction
Shakespeare is probably the most spoken name in the world of literature, remembered not only for his epic plays but also for his poems, especially the sonnets. Shakespeare used his poems to convey numerous ideas and perceptions of his, and sonnets 29and 33 are particularly fascinating, especially since they share a common theme, love. In sonnet 29, the poet addresses the influence of love (albeit enshrouded in anxiety and jealousy) and his unfortunate, or better, miserable plight. It is an explanation of the role of love in bringing hope and optimism for those who feel oppressed and lonely. Love, in sonnet 33, is perpetuated with hypocrisy and betrayal, characterized by Shakespeare’s change of attitude toward his friend (the fair lord), who is largely the main addressee of his previous sonnets. In this sonnet, beauty is replaced with something ugly, a reflection of the love and blissful relationship between him and his friend, but which has now gone sour. However, as is discussed herein, the poet’s tone in sonnets 29 and 33 is rather different, with the latter coming out as more bitter.
Sonnet 29
It can be seen that the speaker’s tone in sonnet 29 changes from that of depression to elation of some sort. The poem begins with the speaker sadly remembering his state of loneliness and dejection. He is weeping, as shown in the following lines: “When, in disgrace with Fortune and men’s eyes, /I all alone beweep my outcast state, /And trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries…” From line 5: “Wishing me like to one more rich in hope,” to line 7, it is clear that the poet is not pleased with his personal state of affairs, wishing he was like a more hopeful about his future like another person, or he was like somebody better placed to become rich or wealthy. That is somewhat fascinating. The pun on “rich” here takes the reader back to the first line, where the poet puns on the word “fortune.’ Certainly, all this punning on money-related words shows that the pot is drawing a line between two very distinct types of wealth: monetary possessions and spiritual wealth. Presently, the speaker appears to be in extreme lack of both, although he does not bring this out explicitly. Up to this point, the poet’s life is devoid of any form of love or affection.
The speaker’s mood starts to change suddenly starting from line 9: “Yet in these thoughts myself almost despising,” which is where he also starts to bring in some ambiguity. Doubtful as to whether he is victim to fate and others or a minute, insignificant being who should be mistreated, his doubts are eventually replaced by thoughts of another, a loved one. The metaphorical lark rising out of the earth into heaven is so bold and strong a visual image that it almost leaves the reader feeling the poet’s resolve and discovery of a new state of self-certainty. The dawn of a new day and the revelation of this new attitude both merge as the poem comes to an end, an indication of a mood of forward motion and hope, inspired by the entry of the person he loves.
Sonnet 33
A significant similarity between these two poems is the existence of two contrasting moods, glamour and gloom. The difference is in their order of presentation. In sonnet 33, the poem starts with a lighter tone and then transitions to bitterness and, to some extent, regret. As a keen reader, one cannot help but notice the poet’s use of conceit as an element of complexity. The poetic perception of conceit is that of a metaphor that is both extended and surprising, usually demanding the focus of all or a better part of the poem. In reference to sonnet 33, the conceit can be seen in the speaker’s comparison of the face of the poem’s object to the sun. The intention of the extended metaphor where the sun is equaled the Fair Youth is to recognize the young man’s (the speaker’s object of desire) beauty. Most of this is evident in the first four lines: “Full many a glorious morning have I seen/ Flatter the mountain-tops with sovereign eye,/ Kissing with golden face the meadows green,/ Gilding pale streams with heavenly alchemy.”
The poet’s use of imagery, particularly personification, is unmistakable in this poem. This is certainly the most profound way the speaker has expressed his feelings and, therefore, the tone of the poem—Shakespeare piles on the Fair Youth’s flattery with near exaggeration. The sun is given a ‘sovereign eye,’ and so is the Fair Youth, by association- sovereign, in this sense, depicting royalty (or nobility, in the least). The words ‘alchemy,’ gilding,’ and ‘golden’ all reinforce this connection with nobility and wealth. Yet one might detect an alteration of this flattery in the phrase ‘Suns of the world’ which, through a pun on ‘sons,’ reminds the reader that the Fair Youth and his affiliates are no more heavenly than the poet himself.
This possible son/sun pun might lead one to interpret sonnet 33 in light of the demise of Hamnet, Shakespeare’s son, who died very young. It is then possible to interpret ‘he was but one hour mine’ as Shakespeare referring to his son whom he had known for only a short while. However, this is very unlikely; otherwise, Shakespeare would not have referred to his “love” as the Fair Youth, an adjective one can only interpret as Shakespeare referring to someone his age, a lover maybe.
The complexity with which Shakespeare expresses his emotions and attitudes in these two poems reveals something one might easily miss from reading just one poem: Shakespeare’s love life was somewhat unnatural. One might not be able to see this in sonnet 29 because it ends in a happy tone, with Shakespeare finding solace from his insecurities in a lover. Only after seeing Shakespeare’s heartbroken lamentation in sonnet 33 can one be able to see that the poet might not have been the hopeless romantic he exudes in his earlier sonnets (and perhaps plays). Another lesson one can take from these poems is that non-normative early gender and sexuality, although frowned upon by society, did exist. It might not be easy to see this until one comes to terms with Shakespeare’s reference to the Fair Youth as a ‘he,’ although he tries to conceal this in the personified ‘sun.’ Evidently, the only reason a personality like Shakespeare (and anybody else at the time) would choose to conceal their possible (unconfirmed) sexual orientation in literature was that it would have been met with severe punishment from society.