Themes and message

The power of love

The main theme of William Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 29” is the power of love. The speaker begins the sonnet by lamenting his misfortunes and expressing his feelings of isolation and despair. He compares himself to others who are more fortunate and wishes that he were more like them. However, in the second half of the sonnet, the speaker's mood shifts dramatically. He remembers his beloved and feels uplifted and transformed by thoughts of their love. The imagery of the lark soaring away from the earth and the metaphor of the speaker's love as a kind of wealth point to the idea that love has the power to elevate and transform the speaker's mood.

The sonnet also explores the idea that love can be a source of contentment and happiness that surpasses material wealth or status. The speaker declares that he would not trade his "state" (a word that is repeated throughout the sonnet) with...