Sonnet 50: How Heavy Do I Journey On The Way
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 lov’d 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.
Line 1: How heavy do I journey on the way,
Difficult Words and Meanings:
- Heavy: Burdened or sorrowful.
- Journey: Travel or proceed.
- Way: Path or road.
In-Depth Explanation:
The speaker begins by describing his journey as “heavy,” meaning it is burdened with sorrow or difficulty. This suggests that the speaker is traveling with a sense of emotional weight, likely due to separation from the beloved.
Context:
This sonnet is part of Shakespeare’s sequence addressed to the “Fair Youth.” The speaker is on a physical journey, but the emotional weight of separation from the beloved makes the journey feel arduous. The line sets up the central theme of the sonnet: the contrast between the physical journey and the emotional burden of separation.
Line 2: When what I seek, my weary travel’s end,
Difficult Words and Meanings:
- Weary travel’s end: The end of my exhausting journey.
In-Depth Explanation:
The speaker explains that the end of his journey (“my weary travel’s end”) is what he seeks. This suggests that he is traveling toward a destination, but the journey itself is filled with weariness and sorrow.
Context:
This line reinforces the theme of the speaker’s emotional burden and his longing for the journey to end. It reflects the idea that the physical journey is a metaphor for the emotional pain of separation.
Line 3: Doth teach that ease and that repose to say,
Difficult Words and Meanings:
- Ease: Comfort or relief.
- Repose: Rest or peace.
In-Depth Explanation:
The speaker suggests that the end of his journey will bring “ease and repose” (comfort and rest). However, the journey itself teaches him that these comforts are measured by the distance from the beloved.
Context:
This line highlights the speaker’s longing for comfort and rest, which are tied to his separation from the beloved. It reflects the theme of the emotional burden of separation.
Line 4: ‘Thus far the miles are measured from thy friend!’
Difficult Words and Meanings:
- Thus far: Up to this point.
- Miles are measured: The distance is calculated.
- Thy friend: Your friend (the speaker).
In-Depth Explanation:
The speaker imagines that each mile of his journey is measured by the distance from the beloved (“thy friend”). This suggests that the farther he travels, the more he feels the pain of separation.
Context:
This line reinforces the theme of the emotional burden of separation. It reflects the idea that the physical distance from the beloved is a measure of the speaker’s sorrow.
Line 5: The beast that bears me, tired with my woe,
Difficult Words and Meanings:
- Beast: The horse or animal carrying the speaker.
- Bears me: Carries me.
- Woe: Sorrow or grief.
In-Depth Explanation:
The speaker describes the animal carrying him as “tired with my woe,” meaning it is burdened by the speaker’s sorrow. This suggests that the speaker’s emotional weight affects even the animal.
Context:
This line introduces the metaphor of the animal as a reflection of the speaker’s emotional state. It reflects the theme of the emotional burden of separation.
Line 6: Plods dully on, to bear that weight in me,
Difficult Words and Meanings:
- Plods dully: Moves slowly and heavily.
- Bear that weight: Carry the burden of my sorrow.
In-Depth Explanation:
The speaker describes the animal as “plodding dully on,” meaning it moves slowly and heavily under the weight of the speaker’s sorrow. This reinforces the idea that the speaker’s emotional burden affects the animal.
Context:
This line continues the metaphor of the animal as a reflection of the speaker’s emotional state. It reflects the theme of the emotional burden of separation.
Line 7: As if by some instinct the wretch did know
Difficult Words and Meanings:
- Instinct: Natural intuition or understanding.
- Wretch: The animal (used sympathetically).
In-Depth Explanation:
The speaker suggests that the animal, by “some instinct,” understands the speaker’s sorrow. This implies that the animal senses the speaker’s emotional burden and responds to it.
Context:
This line reinforces the metaphor of the animal as a reflection of the speaker’s emotional state. It reflects the theme of the emotional burden of separation.
Line 8: His rider lov’d not speed being made from thee.
Difficult Words and Meanings:
- Rider: The speaker.
- Speed: Swiftness or haste.
- Made from thee: Moving away from you.
In-Depth Explanation:
The speaker explains that the animal understands that he (“his rider”) does not desire speed because it means moving away from the beloved. This suggests that the speaker’s sorrow is tied to the physical separation from the beloved.
Context:
This line reinforces the theme of the emotional burden of separation. It reflects the idea that the speaker’s sorrow is tied to the physical distance from the beloved.
Line 9: The bloody spur cannot provoke him on,
Difficult Words and Meanings:
- Bloody spur: A sharp tool used to urge a horse forward.
- Provoke him on: Urge him to move faster.
In-Depth Explanation:
The speaker states that even the “bloody spur” (a sharp tool used to urge a horse forward) cannot make the animal move faster. This suggests that the animal is as reluctant to move away from the beloved as the speaker is.
Context:
This line reinforces the metaphor of the animal as a reflection of the speaker’s emotional state. It reflects the theme of the emotional burden of separation.
Line 10: That sometimes anger thrusts into his hide,
Difficult Words and Meanings:
- Anger: Frustration or impatience.
- Thrusts into his hide: Presses into the animal’s skin.
In-Depth Explanation:
The speaker describes how his frustration or impatience (“anger”) sometimes leads him to spur the animal, but even this does not make it move faster. This suggests that the speaker’s emotional burden is too great to be overcome by physical force.
Context:
This line reinforces the theme of the emotional burden of separation. It reflects the idea that the speaker’s sorrow cannot be alleviated by physical means.
Line 11: Which heavily he answers with a groan,
Difficult Words and Meanings:
- Heavily: With great effort or sorrow.
- Groan: A deep sound of pain or distress.
In-Depth Explanation:
The speaker describes how the animal responds to the spur with a “groan,” a sound of pain or distress. This suggests that the animal shares in the speaker’s emotional burden.
Context:
This line reinforces the metaphor of the animal as a reflection of the speaker’s emotional state. It reflects the theme of the emotional burden of separation.
Line 12: More sharp to me than spurring to his side;
Difficult Words and Meanings:
- Sharp: Painful or distressing.
- Spurring to his side: The physical act of spurring the animal.
In-Depth Explanation:
The speaker states that the animal’s groan is more painful to him (“more sharp to me”) than the physical act of spurring the animal. This suggests that the speaker’s emotional burden is greater than any physical discomfort.
Context:
This line reinforces the theme of the emotional burden of separation. It reflects the idea that the speaker’s sorrow is more painful than any physical hardship.
Line 13: For that same groan doth put this in my mind,
Difficult Words and Meanings:
- Doth put this in my mind: Brings this thought to my mind.
In-Depth Explanation:
The speaker explains that the animal’s groan reminds him of his own sorrow. This suggests that the animal’s pain mirrors the speaker’s emotional burden.
Context:
This line reinforces the metaphor of the animal as a reflection of the speaker’s emotional state. It reflects the theme of the emotional burden of separation.
Line 14: My grief lies onward, and my joy behind.
Difficult Words and Meanings:
- Grief: Sorrow or pain.
- Onward: Ahead or in the future.
- Joy: Happiness or comfort.
- Behind: In the past or left behind.
In-Depth Explanation:
The speaker concludes by stating that his “grief lies onward” (ahead of him) and his “joy behind” (left behind). This suggests that the farther he travels from the beloved, the greater his sorrow, while his joy remains with the beloved.
Context:
This line encapsulates the central theme of the sonnet: the emotional burden of separation and the contrast between the speaker’s sorrow and his joy. It reflects the idea that the physical journey is a metaphor for the emotional pain of separation, with the speaker’s grief increasing as he moves away from the beloved and his joy remaining behind.
Summary of the Sonnet:
Sonnet 50 explores the theme of the emotional burden of separation. The speaker is on a physical journey, but the emotional weight of being apart from the beloved makes the journey feel arduous and sorrowful. The animal carrying the speaker becomes a metaphor for the speaker’s emotional state, plodding slowly under the weight of his grief. The speaker’s sorrow is tied to the physical distance from the beloved, with each mile measured by the pain of separation. The final lines underscore the contrast between the speaker’s grief, which lies ahead, and his joy, which remains behind with the beloved. The sonnet captures the tension between physical movement and emotional stasis, highlighting the profound impact of separation on the speaker’s heart and mind.
In-Depth Analysis of Sonnet 50
Summary:
Sonnet 50 is a lament on separation, depicting the speaker’s emotional and physical burden as he journeys away from his beloved. The imagery of a weary traveler and a suffering horse reflects his melancholy and reluctance to part.
- Quatrain 1: The journey is burdensome and painful because each step increases the distance from the beloved.
- Quatrain 2: Even the horse senses the sorrow, moving slowly and unwillingly as if it, too, resents the departure.
- Quatrain 3: Attempts to spur the horse forward only deepen the speaker’s suffering, as its groans remind him of his own inner grief.
- Final Couplet: The destination holds no joy, as happiness lies behind with the beloved.
Critical Analysis:
Sonnet 50 is one of Shakespeare’s most visceral depictions of sorrow in the sonnet sequence. Unlike other sonnets that lament separation in a philosophical or metaphorical sense, this one physically embodies sorrow through the struggle of both the speaker and his horse.
The heavy, plodding movement of the journey mirrors the emotional weight of parting, reinforcing the idea that distance brings not only physical exhaustion but also psychological torment. The horse, usually a symbol of speed and power, becomes an extension of the speaker’s grief, moving sluggishly as if it, too, understands the pain of separation.
Theme Analysis:
- The Burden of Separation:
- The speaker’s journey is not just physical but deeply emotional. Each step increases his sorrow because he is moving away from joy and toward grief.
- The final couplet explicitly states:
- “My grief lies onward, and my joy behind.”
- Sympathy Between Man and Nature:
- The horse reflects the speaker’s emotions, moving slowly and reluctantly as if it, too, mourns the distance.
- This personification of the horse creates a sense of shared suffering, making the scene more poignant.
- The Ineffectiveness of Force Against Emotion:
- The speaker spurs the horse to make it go faster, but this only results in a groan of pain, which hurts him more than it does the horse.
- This suggests that no amount of force or urgency can erase the pain of separation—grief must be endured.
- The Reversal of the Journey’s Purpose:
- Normally, a journey has a destination of hope or fulfillment. Here, the opposite is true:
- The closer the speaker gets to his destination, the farther he moves from happiness.
Literary Devices and Techniques:
- Heavy, Plodding Rhythm:
- Shakespeare uses deliberate pacing to mimic the slow, reluctant movement of the journey.
- Example:
- “Plods dully on, to bear that weight in me.”
- The phrase “plods dully” slows the line down, mirroring the sluggish movement of the horse.
- Personification of the Horse:
- The horse is not just an animal but a reflection of the speaker’s sorrow.
- Example:
- “As if by some instinct the wretch did know / His rider lov’d not speed being made from thee.”
- The horse understands the pain of separation and does not want to move quickly.
- Use of Sound to Convey Emotion:
- “The bloody spur cannot provoke him on.”
- The harsh “b” and “p” sounds in “bloody” and “provoke” create a sense of frustration and futility.
- Contrast Between Action and Emotion:
- The spur (a tool of control) is meant to force movement, but it only results in pain and sorrow.
- This symbolizes the speaker’s helplessness—he cannot escape grief no matter how much he tries to push forward.
Comparison to Other Sonnets:
- Sonnet 27 (“Weary with toil, I haste me to my bed”)
- Both sonnets deal with physical and emotional exhaustion due to separation from the beloved.
- In Sonnet 27, the speaker cannot rest because of thoughts of love, whereas in Sonnet 50, even movement itself becomes burdensome.
- Sonnet 44 (“If the dull substance of my flesh were thought”)
- Sonnet 44 expresses a wish to overcome distance through thought, whereas Sonnet 50 emphasizes the slow, painful nature of physical separation.
- Sonnet 51 (“Thus can my love excuse the slow offence”)
- Sonnet 51 follows directly after 50, and serves as its contrast—it presents the hope that the return journey will be swift and joyful, whereas Sonnet 50 dwells on the pain of departure.
Conclusion:
Sonnet 50 is a powerful meditation on the weight of separation, using imagery of a weary traveler and his suffering horse to emphasize the speaker’s reluctance and sorrow. The slow, heavy movement of both man and beast reflects the burden of distance, while the horse’s groan of pain serves as a painful reminder of the speaker’s own grief.
The final couplet encapsulates the heartache perfectly:
- “My grief lies onward, and my joy behind.”
Here, Shakespeare delivers a universal truth about love and loss—when separated from what we cherish, no future destination can truly bring comfort, because our happiness remains with the one we left behind.
