Wednesday, May 16, 2012

What does the speaker envy in "Sonnet 29"?

It isn't a single thing, it is many things. Consider these lines:

And look upon myself and curse my fate,Wishing me like to one more rich in hope,Featured like him, like him with friends possess'd,Desiring this man's art and that man's scope,With what I most enjoy contented least;

He wishes to be better looking ("featured like him"), that he had more friends, that he had another's skill or intelligence. In short, he envies anything good he sees in others.

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