The Appreciation of Sonnet 30

Shakespeare’s Sonnet 30, one of his most famous, is a reflection on sad memories reconciled by the realization of the gift he has in his friend. (Wikipedia) The mood of depression, with absence from his friend, continues and brings back to the speaker the thought of earlier friends now dead and former lover now over. (Wikipedia)

The whole tone of Sonnet 30 is sad and regretful. The author, Shakespeare, felt sigh about the past time, the past people and those wonderful time that consists author’s main part of his life. As well as Sonnet 29, two poems’ themes are both constructed in honor of his friend and lover. Because of the absence of poet’s lover, the author’s mournful recollection is ignited, and this kind of emotional gap could only be filled in by the thoughts of his lover.

Shakespeare used some uncommon words to express his sad feelings. These words, if we do not read his poems, are rare to see in our daily lives. For example, afresh, woes, o’er and fore-bemoanèd. Take “Then can I grieve at grievances foregone, and heavily from woe to woe tell o'er” as an example. This sentence expresses the intense grievances existing deep inside in his heart. The poet desired to grieve the grievances that he had let go of and woefully remind each woe that the author had cried about in the past. Apparently, if Shakespeare chose to use the daily diction to construct the whole poem, not only did the poem become tedious, but also made the entirety lack variety of words. After poet’s such processing, Sonnet 30 became mysterious but affectionate.

Moreover, in Sonnet 30, Shakespeare used courtroom metaphors to describe his sad feelings inevitably. The first sentence, when to the sessions of sweet silent thought and the seventh sentence, and weep afresh love's long since cancelled woe. Here, “session”, “summon up” could be considered as a “witness”, and “canceled” could be considered as a “debt”. The poet used this expression means to represent opposite affections. Also, the poet did not want to express this kind of grieve feeling apparently. Therefore, he chose the courtroom metaphors, namely, euphemistically express his sorrow. All readers need to see through the phenomenon to the essence if he/she prefers to appreciate Sonnet 30 deeply. In addition, the poet paradoxically described his grief. He used the word “sweet,” not directly “sad” or “sorrowful.” Although the friend had gone, the lover had gone too, the poet still unfold this poem in self-mockery way.

The whole poem unfolds in chronological order. At the beginning, the poet said he missed all those sweet time which he spent with his gone friends, and then the author sighed about his failures and shortcomings (“I sigh the lack of many a thing I sought”). Then the author continuously gave more details of this kind of grievance. Finally, the style was changed, the poet wrote: Although I was so sad, so sorrowful, whenever I think of you, my friend, I will always be cheerful and vigorous. Therefore, the author wrote a story in the chronological order and ended it with a new appearance.

Sonnet 30 used three four-line rhyme segments and a couplet, which is unlike previous Italian Sonnet and English Sonnet. Besides, the rhyme style: abab cdcd efef gg is also different from Petrarch Sonnet. This new kind of style not only has aesthetic feeling in read, but also makes the entirety compact, which enable readers to enjoy the poem more systematically.