Renaissance Poetry Project Senior English January 28, 2002 B-day 6th Is it wrong to desire another's wealth? Is it wrong to strive for someone else's intelligence? Will it rot your soul to be jealous of a person who is liked by all and has many friends? Sometimes people look at others wealth and fame and try to grasp a hold of it, but it is much easier to be satisfied with what you have.
Let's take some examples in "Sonnet 29" by William Shakespeare. When it states, "I look upon myself and curse my fate." This states that the man has very low self-esteem. Another example from the sonnet that describes greed is, "wishing me like to one more rich in hope." These lines are very detailed and express great sadness and loneliness. The man in the poem is obviously in a state of depression which is easily observed in lines like, "I wish I were featured like him, like him with friends possed."
English: Sonnet XXX of William Shakespeare on a wa...
Wealth treasure
WealthBut his feelings of sadness all changes when he thinks of his love.
As this man starts thinking of his love, his heart starts to pound and joy comes back into his life. For instance, "Happily I think on thee, and then my state is like a lark at break of day arising." This man's whole attitude changes just because of one special person. In fact, at the end of the sonnet he expresses, "For thy sweet love remembered such wealth brings, that I scorn to change my state with kings," which actually means that he is thinking and feeling positive and he regrets saying that he wished for other people's wealth and money.
This beautifully written and wonderfully expressed sonnet is very comparable to our everyday lives. We all want...