Language

Style of writing

The language of “Sonnet 29” by William Shakespeare is written in a formal style while also being quite emotional. The speaker expresses his despair at feeling like he has not been as fortunate in life as others. However, the tone of the sonnet changes abruptly in the third stanza, when the speaker's thoughts turn to his beloved, resulting in a sudden shift from depression to joy and hope. Thus, there is a clear contrast between the first and second part of the poem.

The use of the old pronoun form “thy” indicates the intimate relationship between the speaker and the person he is addressing. In Shakespeare’s day, there were two pronoun forms: “thou” and “thy” were informal and could be used to express intimacy between two parties, while “you” and “your” were formal and could signal a difference in status. Thus, the use of “thou” and “thy” tells us...