154 sonnets (“Sonnet 99,” “Sonnet 126,” and “Sonnet 145”), the first three groups of four lines are called quatrains, and the final two lines are known as a couplet. The divisions between the quatrains and the couplet provide convenient points where the poet’s thought process can shift. In “Sonnet 29,” a significant change in the poet’s mindset occurs at the start of the third quatrain, indicated by the word “yet.” The concluding couplet, which often contradicts or modifies the poem’s argument, here affirms the poet’s new mood as of line 10. Shakespeare’s unique use of this poem’s rhyme scheme is evident in his repetition of the word “state” at the ends of lines 2 and 10. He may have intended to highlight the word’s multiple meanings, especially since he repeats it again in line 14; perhaps he was subtly linking his “fate” (line 4) with “Heaven’s gate” (line 12) through rhyme.

“Sonnet 29” is composed in iambic pentameter. Iambic meter, the most familiar rhythm in the English language, consists of alternating stressed and unstressed syllables; an iamb, a type of poetic foot, is a pair of syllables where the first is unstressed and the second is stressed. The prefix “penta” (meaning “five”) before “meter” indicates that there are five iambs in each line.

Stresses convey meaning; lines in which the regular rhythm is disrupted gain both variety and emphasis. In this emotionally intense poem, the frequent interruptions in the iambic meter reflect the speaker’s own lack of composure and control. For instance, the first poetic feet in lines 5, 6, and 10 are not iambic but dactylic: “wishing me,” “featured like,” and “haply I” are all feet consisting of one stressed syllable followed by two unstressed syllables. Additional disruptions in the meter include “deaf heaven” (line 3) and “sings hymns” (line 12), which stand out due to their two successive stresses (known as spondees) and their assonance. Phrases like “men’s eyes” (line 1), “I all” (line 2), “sweet love” (line 13), and “such wealth brings” (line 13) also break the sonnet’s regular meter with two or more consecutive stressed syllables, drawing attention to the poet’s sense of isolation and his feelings toward the poem’s recipient.

• 1609: England is ascending to its future status as the leading global power, a significant change from being regarded as a third-rate nation as recently as 1558, when Elizabeth I began her reign.

  Today: After enduring substantial physical and financial damage during the two World Wars of the twentieth century, England remains a key member of the European community but is no longer seen as one of the superpowers influencing global affairs.

• 1609: The first newspapers with regular publication schedules emerge in Lower Saxony and Strasbourg.

  Today: With the rise of electronic media, particularly the internet, many question whether print newspapers will continue to exist far into the twenty-first century.

• 1609: Jamestown, the first permanent European settlement in what is now the United States, is on the brink of collapse. Founded two years earlier by English gentlemen ill-prepared for pioneering, its residents face extreme starvation during the "Starving Time" of 1609-1610, resorting to cannibalism and grave-robbing.

  Today: Many Americans' knowledge of colonial history is limited to the romanticized tale of eleven-year-old Powhatan princess Pocahontas rescuing Captain John Smith.

• 1609: France is the most populous country in Europe with 16 million people, while England's population stands at about 4.5 to 5 million. China has an estimated population of 120 million.

  Today: Recent population statistics show France with 54.3 million residents, more than three times its 1609 population. Both China and England have seen a 900 percent increase since Shakespeare's era: England now has 46 million people, and China boasts a population of 1.2 billion.

• William Shakespeare: A Poet for All Time. Videocassette. The Master Poets Collection, Volume 2. Malibu, CA: Monterey Home Video, 1998.
• William Shakespeare, His Life and Times. Videocassette. Salt Lake City, UT: Bonneville Worldwide Entertainment, 1998.
• William Shakespeare, Poet and Dramatist, 1564-1616. Videocassette. West Long Branch, NJ: White Star, 1993.
• The Complete Sonnets of William Shakespeare Cassette 1: Sonnets 1-78. Audiocassette. Camp Hill, PA: Book-of-the-Month Records, 1982.
• Martin, Philip. Shakespeare, The Sonnets. Audiocassette. Sydney: ABC Radio, 1980.
• The Complete Sonnets of William Shakespeare, with “A Lover's Complaint” and Selected Songs. Two audiocassettes. West Hollywood, CA: Cove Audio, 1996.
• Vendler, Helen. Shakespeare's Sonnets: Helen Vendler Reads. Audio disc. Cambridge, MA: Bellknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1997.

Sources
Andrews, John F., ed. William Shakespeare: His World, His Work, His Influence. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1985.

Colei, Rosalie L. “Criticism and the Analysis of Craft: The Sonnets,” in William Shakespeare’s Sonnets, edited by Harold Bloom. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishers, 1987, pp. 47-74.

Fox, Levi. The Shakespeare Handbook. Boston: G. K. Hall & Co., 1987.

Fussell, Paul. Poetic Meter and Poetic Form. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1979.

Quennell, Peter. Shakespeare: The Poet and His Background. London: Penguin Books, Ltd., 1969.

Ramsey, Paul. The Fickle Glass: A Study of Shakespeare’s Sonnets. AMS Press, 1979, pp. 152-153.

Thatcher, David. “What a Lark: The Undoing of Sonnet 29.” Durham University Journal, January 1994, pp. 59-66.

Weiser, David K. Mind in Character: Shakespeare’s Speaker in the Sonnets. University of Missouri Press, 1987, pp. 33-40.

For Further Study
Booth, Stephen. An Essay on Shakespeare’s Sonnets. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1969. Booth’s academic analysis of the sonnets’ structure delves into details often overlooked by readers, including chapters on “Rhetorical Patterns” and “Phonetic Structure.” Though challenging, it is a valuable resource.

Greene, Thomas M. “Pitiful Thrivers: Failed Husbandry in Shakespeare’s Sonnets,” in Modern Critical Interpretations: William Shakespeare’s Sonnets, edited by Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1987, pp. 75-92. Greene explores a recurring theme of inadequacy in Shakespeare’s poetry.

Ramsey, Paul. The Fickle Glass: A Study of Shakespeare’s Sonnets. New York: AMS Press, 1979. Ramsey’s scholarly work is meticulous and insightful, though potentially complex for some readers.

Shakespeare, William. The Riddle of Shakespeare’s Sonnets. New York: Basic Book Publishers, 1962. Six distinguished critics—Northrop Frye, Edward Hubler, Leslie Fiedler, Stephen Spender, R. P. Blackmur, and Oscar Wilde—seek insights into Shakespeare’s life and personality through his sonnets, arriving at a diverse array of conclusions.

Smith, D. Nichol, ed. Eighteenth Century Essays on Shakespeare. London: University of Oxford Press, 1963. This collection features essays written between one hundred and one hundred fifty years after Shakespeare’s death. It is notable how infrequently 18th-century critics, including Alexander Pope and Samuel Johnson, focused on Shakespeare’s poetry, opting instead to concentrate on his plays.

Wait, R. J. C. The Background to Shakespeare’s Sonnets. New York: Schocken Books, 1972. This source provides a clear and accessible blend of historical and biographical information about Shakespeare.

Weiser, David K. Mind in Character: Shakespeare’s Speaker in the Sonnets. Columbia, MO: University of Missouri Press, 1987. While many analyses equate the sonnets’ speaker with Shakespeare himself, Weiser’s book carefully examines the poems to establish a distinct character separate from the author.

Wilson, Katharine M. “Shakespeare’s Sonnets Imitate and Satirize Earlier Sonnets,” in Readings on the Sonnets. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press, 1997, pp. 148-158. The analysis of “Sonnet 29” begins with, “That this is parody we could not doubt.” Wilson presents a compelling and intelligent argument, backed by examples, for her interpretation of Shakespeare’s work.