Question

When, in disgrace with fortune and men's eyes,

I all alone beweep my outcast state,
And trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries,
And look upon myself and curse my fate,
Wishing me like to one more rich in hope,
Featured like him, like him with friends possessed,
Desiring this man's art and that man's scope,
With what I most enjoy contented least;
Yet in these thoughts myself almost despising,
Haply I think on thee, and then my state,
(Like to the lark at break of day arising
From sullen earth) sings hymns at heaven's gate;
For thy sweet love remembered such wealth brings
That then I scorn to change my state with kings.

How does the form of the sonnet impact the meaning of Shakespeare's poem?

Repetition of the same lines throughout emphasizes the point that the subject of the poem is always going to be happy.
Six stanzas break the sonnet into six different emotions that the speaker experiences throughout the poem.
There is no rhyme scheme or meter, which makes the poem seem like an informational paragraph about how to be happy.
The shift and the couplet help to explain that even though you don't have money or fame, love is all you need to be happy.

Answer 1

The shift and the couplet help to explain that even though you don't have money or fame, love is all you need to be happy.

Shakespeare's sonnet follows the traditional structure of a Shakespearean sonnet, which consists of three quatrains followed by a final rhyming couplet. The quatrains develop a particular theme or idea, and the couplet provides a resolution or conclusion to the poem.

In this sonnet, the first three quatrains describe the speaker's feelings of despair and envy, while the fourth quatrain introduces a shift in the poem's tone and content. The final couplet provides a resolution that suggests that the speaker's thoughts of the person he loves bring him happiness that he would not trade for even the most desirable worldly riches.

The sonnet's structure thus plays a crucial role in conveying the poem's meaning, as it allows Shakespeare to develop a series of interconnected ideas and emotions that culminate in a final resolution that reinforces the poem's central message.

~~~Harsha~~~

Answer 2

D) The shift and the couplet help to explain that even though you don't have money or fame, love is all you need to be happy.

Step-by-step explanation:

This sonnet follows the structure ((typically ABABCDCDEFEFGG) consisting of three quatrains (four-line stanzas) and a couplet. The shift in the sonnet occurs in the third quatrain, where the speaker's thoughts shift from self-despising to thinking about their beloved. The couplet at the end of the sonnet provides a resolution to the speaker's internal conflict as it reveals that the speaker finds happiness in the memory of love.
Therefore, the form of the sonnet, with its distinct quatrains and couplet, provides a framework for the speaker's internal journey from despair and longing to contentment for love.
A) is false because there is no repetition. B) is false because only two emotions are displayed instead of six. C) is false because the last couplet does have a rhyme scheme. This is why option D) is correct.