Of all of the sonnets that Shakespeare wrote, "Sonnet 29" is the most traditional or conventional. It is a sonnet that seems quite similar to the content and emotion of the sonnets by Francis Petrarch or even some of the sonnets by Sir Philip Sidney. In this sonnet the speaker declares that the power of his love for the young man allows him to continue and be strong even during the worst of times.
In regards to its structure, this sonnet can be divided into two parts: the octet and the sestet. The word yet (in line 9) clearly announces the shift in direction. In the octet, the speaker moans and weeps over his misfortunes. But in the sestet, the speaker explains how his thoughts for the young man cheer him up.
In the first quatrain the speaker begins by stating that he is "in disgrace" with "Fortune." Life has not been good to him. He has had bad luck. The speaker is also in disgrace in "men's eyes." Other men criticize him or speak badly about him. Thus, the speaker feels "all alone." He feels like an "outcast," like he does not belong in the company of