Wednesday, December 4, 2019

The word "state" occurs thrice in Shakespeare's "Sonnet 29." How does the meaning of this word change with each occurrence?

The first use of the word "state" occurs in the second line of the sonnet, as the speaker bemoans his "outcast state." In this instance, the word "state" is synonymous with "condition" or "existence."
The second instance of the word "state" occurs in the tenth line, where the speaker begins to remark that his "state" changes, or revives, when he thinks upon his loved one. The word "state" in this instance also is broadly synonymous with "condition" or "existence." Or perhaps, more precisely, it may be synonymous with "emotional well-being."
The third and final instance of the word "state" occurs in the final line. Here, the speaker says that when he thinks of, or is with his loved one, he would "scorn to change (his) state with kings." The word "state" in this instance has two meanings. The first meaning is the meaning noted above. In other words, the speaker would not exchange his emotional condition with anybody else. The second meaning is that the speaker would also not exchange his material condition (meaning his social status and his wealth, or lack thereof) with that of a king. His love means so much to him as to outweigh any relative deficiency in his material condition.

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