Sonnet 28

« » Sonnet 28
Sonnet 28 in the 1609 Quarto
Q1 Q2 Q3 C How can I then return in happy plight, That am debarr’d the benefit of rest? When day’s oppression is not eas’d by night, But day by night, and night by day, oppress’d? And each, though enemies to either’s reign, Do in consent shake hands to torture me; The one by toil, the other to complain How far I toil, still farther off from thee. I tell the day, to please him thou art bright, And dost him grace when clouds do blot the heaven: So flatter I the swart-complexion’d night When sparkling stars twire not thou gild’st the even. But day doth daily draw my sorrows longer, And night doth nightly make grief’s strength seem stronger. 4 8 12 14 —William Shakespeare

Q1



Q2



Q3



C

How can I then return in happy plight,
That am debarr’d the benefit of rest?
When day’s oppression is not eas’d by night,
But day by night, and night by day, oppress’d?
And each, though enemies to either’s reign,
Do in consent shake hands to torture me;
The one by toil, the other to complain
How far I toil, still farther off from thee.
I tell the day, to please him thou art bright,
And dost him grace when clouds do blot the heaven:
So flatter I the swart-complexion’d night
When sparkling stars twire not thou gild’st the even.
But day doth daily draw my sorrows longer,
And night doth nightly make grief’s strength seem stronger.

4



8



12

14

Sonnet 28 is one of 154 sonnets written by the English playwright and poet William Shakespeare, it was first published in 1609. The sonnet is a part of the Fair Youth sequence, in which the poet expresses his love towards a young man — usually referred to as "the young man" or the "friend". Shakespeare's use of "friend" means more than just of a sexual nature, it highlights the Renaissance ideal of male fidelity and equality. From sonnets 18 to 126, Shakespeare writes about his relationship with the said young man. Although the identity of the young man is still unknown, Henry Wriothesley and William Herbert, 3rd Earl of Pembroke, are the two leading contenders.

Sonnet 28 is a part of a five sonnet series that focuses on the poet reflecting upon his friend, in addition, there is a focus on night and sleeplessness, which is a traditional motif in Petrarchan sonnet sequences. Moreover, Shakespeare infamously declares his "faithfulness of his love for the young man and celebrates the power of his poetry to preserve the young man's memory" in these sonnets. Similar to Sonnet 27, Sonnet 28 ends comparably — in an unhappy state. The sonnet "turns on the indistinguishablity of day and night; they were both occasions of work in the former poem, but here they are both occasions of torture."