This sonnet is narrated by a man whose emotions are completely at the mercy of another. Its theme involves the vulnerability of the narrator's nature and the power of love. Just when he reaches the lowest point of his depression, the recipient of the poem enters his mind and cures him of his misery. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Shakespeare cleverly uses a recurring theme of heaven to help portray the larger theme of the poem. In describing his helplessness, he writes: “I disturb the deaf sky with my useless cries. . .” Here, "bootless" is used to represent the futility of his "cries" or prayers to heaven. Diction, however, is extremely important in this context. The word “bootless” is also noteworthy because it represents impediment to movement, as it literally means without boots and without boots it may become difficult to walk. This is later contrasted with an image in which the narrator compares the elevation of his soul to "the lark at the breaking of the dawning day." Although the lark sings from the “gloomy earth,” its song reaches directly to the sky. The reader may interpret the word “grumpy” as “a dark moodiness,” “producing a dull, sad tone,” or “moody silence,” as seen by the NED. The last two definitions are more applicable to our discussion; they define the contrast between the mournful tone or silence of the earth and the bright song of the lark. Likewise the song of the lark is free, when the narrator thinks of this person, his state “sings hymns at the gate of heaven”. Whereas before, in his dejected state, his prayers were futile and immobile, now his prayers are mobile and, therefore, answerable. The image of the lark is common in Shakespeare's works. In fact, in the third act, fifth scene of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, the two lovers discuss whether the song they just heard was that of the nightingale or that of the lark. Romeo replies to Juliet: “He was the lark, the herald of the morning. . .” The lark therefore also signifies the advent of morning, an image that further enhances the narrator's spiritual ascent. The theme of the sonnet also emerges from a coherent pattern of terms indicating wealth, suggested by the presence of words such as "rich", "possessed", "wealth" and "king". The NED argues that the meaning of the word “wealth” in the seventeenth century was spiritual well-being. Shakespeare uses this theme in an ironic context, as these words are, in fact, used to help characterize the narrator's misfortune. The second quatrain focuses on how the narrator envies other men's strengths. He is in such a dejected and “marginalized” state that he desires.” . .this man's art and that man's purpose. . .” The NED tells us that in the Elizabethan period, “art” meant any kind of skill, and that “scope” could be interpreted as “scope or range of mental activity.” The line that reads: “With what I like most I am satisfied with less. . .” is the best indication that the narrator has reached a low point. He is literally saying that his character is so bad that he now hates what he once liked best. As we read, this image is contrasted with the statement in the last couplet which reads, “For thy sweet remembered love, such wealth brings / That then I disdain to change my state with kings.” In other words, the thought of this person makes him so happy that he would not exchange his fortune for any other man even for the richest of kings. This beautiful language, particularly pleasant to the ear thanks to the iambic pentameter, summarizes the theme in the last.