William Shakespeare’s Sonnet 50 is a poignant reflection on the physical and emotional burdens that accompany the speaker’s journey. A sonnet filled with imagery, metaphor, and melancholy, it explores themes of sorrow, longing, and the frustration of separation from a loved one. In this essay, we will first analyze the overall structure and tone of the sonnet before delving into a line-by-line examination to better understand the depth of the speaker’s emotional experience.
Shakespeare’s Sonnet 50
How heavy do I journey on the way,
When what I seek, my weary travel’s end,
Doth teach that ease and that repose to say
“Thus far the miles are measured from thy friend.”
The beast that bears me, tired with my woe,
Plods dully on, to bear that weight in me,
As if by some instinct the wretch did know
His rider loved not speed, being made from thee.
The bloody spur cannot provoke him on
That sometimes anger thrusts into his hide,
Which heavily he answers with a groan,
More sharp to me than spurring to his side;
For that same groan doth put this in my mind:
My grief lies onward and my joy behind.
The Structure and Tone of Sonnet 50
Sonnet 50 follows the conventional Shakespearean sonnet structure: 14 lines of iambic pentameter, divided into three quatrains and a concluding rhymed couplet. The rhyme scheme is ABAB CDCD EFEF GG. This structured form is a fitting framework for the poem’s examination of the measured, almost mechanical process of physical travel juxtaposed with the weighty emotional burden of grief and longing.
The tone of the poem is sorrowful and contemplative. The speaker conveys both the weariness of the body and the anguish of the soul as he embarks on a journey, physically moving but mentally and emotionally burdened by the separation from his beloved. The use of words like “weary,” “woe,” and “grief” underscores the sense of sadness and emotional fatigue that runs through the sonnet.
Analysis of Sonnet 50
Lines 1–4
“How heavy do I journey on the way,
When what I seek, my weary travel’s end,
Doth teach that ease and that repose to say
‘Thus far the miles are measured from thy friend.’”
The opening quatrain sets the tone of the sonnet by emphasizing the speaker’s emotional and physical exhaustion. The word “heavy” establishes the burden the speaker feels, both as a traveler on a physical journey and as someone emotionally weighed down by separation from the “friend” (the beloved). The use of “weary” reinforces this sense of exhaustion.
The second line introduces the concept of “travel’s end” — the end of the journey — which would typically signify a sense of relief. However, the speaker instead finds that this end “teaches” a lesson in rest, not joy. This suggests that the speaker’s destination is not a place of happiness but rather a reminder of absence. The “miles” mentioned here are both literal and metaphorical, representing the distance between the speaker and the beloved, as well as the emotional distance created by that separation.
The phrase “measured from thy friend” refers to the distance separating the speaker from the object of his affection, a measurement that only intensifies the sadness of the journey. The miles traveled are not merely a physical count, but a reminder of the emotional toll the separation takes.
Lines 5–8
“The beast that bears me, tired with my woe,
Plods dully on, to bear that weight in me,
As if by some instinct the wretch did know
His rider loved not speed, being made from thee.”
In the second quatrain, the speaker shifts the focus to the animal that carries him on his journey. The “beast” is personified as it “bears” not just the physical weight of the speaker but also the emotional burden (“my woe”). The beast’s “dull” movement mirrors the speaker’s own sense of weariness, both physical and emotional.
The idea that the “wretch” (the beast) “knew” of the speaker’s sorrow suggests a deep connection between the traveler and his animal companion. The beast seems to understand the speaker’s reluctance to rush toward his destination, reinforcing the theme of emotional heaviness. The speaker implies that the creature’s slow pace is in line with his own sorrowful state, as if the animal is instinctively aware that the speaker does not wish to hurry, as he is carrying the weight of his grief.
The line “being made from thee” could suggest that the speaker’s sorrow is tied to the beloved, who is the source of his suffering. This line reflects the idea that the speaker’s emotional state is not just about the journey itself but about what or who he is separated from — in this case, the beloved.
Lines 9–12
“The bloody spur cannot provoke him on
That sometimes anger thrusts into his hide,
Which heavily he answers with a groan,
More sharp to me than spurring to his side;”
Here, Shakespeare introduces the image of the rider attempting to spur the beast into motion. The “bloody spur” is a metaphor for a harsh or forceful attempt to quicken the animal’s pace. However, even this attempt to push the beast forward is futile. The animal answers with a “groan,” a sound that metaphorically represents the speaker’s own emotional response to the spurs of life — external forces that attempt to hasten him or push him toward his end.
The line “More sharp to me than spurring to his side” highlights how the speaker’s emotional pain is more acute than the physical pain of the beast being prodded. This underscores the central theme of the sonnet: the speaker is not merely a traveler on a physical journey, but someone who is suffering from the absence of the beloved, and this grief is a sharper pain than any external force could inflict.
Lines 13–14
“For that same groan doth put this in my mind:
My grief lies onward and my joy behind.”
In the final couplet, the speaker reflects on the significance of the animal’s “groan.” The groan, symbolic of the beast’s own weariness, serves as a reminder to the speaker of his emotional state. It prompts the realization that his grief is not something that can be left behind or overcome through physical movement — it “lies onward,” suggesting that the sorrow will continue as the journey progresses. Meanwhile, “my joy” is described as “behind,” emphasizing that any sense of happiness or fulfillment is in the past, tied to the time before the separation. The final couplet thus encapsulates the despair of the speaker: the future holds only grief, while the past was the source of his joy.
Conclusion
In Sonnet 50, Shakespeare masterfully conveys the emotional and physical burdens of separation through vivid imagery and poignant metaphor. The journey described in the sonnet is not merely one of distance but of internal conflict, where each step taken brings the speaker further away from the joy he once had and deeper into the sorrow he cannot escape. The use of the animal as a metaphor for the traveler’s own weary spirit enhances the sonnet’s exploration of grief, love, and longing. Ultimately, the poem serves as a reflection on the inexorable passage of time and the emotional toll of separation, leaving the reader with a profound sense of the speaker’s emotional fatigue and the unrelenting nature of his grief.
