Analysis of Sonnet 50: How heavy do I journey on the way

William Shakespeare 1564 (Stratford-upon-Avon) – 1616 (Stratford-upon-Avon)



How heavy do I journey on the way,
When what I seek, my weary travel's end,
Doth teach that case 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.


Scheme ABABCDCDEFGFHH
Poetic Form
Metre 1101110101 111111011 1111010111 1101110111 0111110111 111111101 1111100111 11011110111 0101100111 1011010111 1100110101 1111110111 1111111011 1111001101
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 603
Words 121
Sentences 4
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 14
Lines Amount 14
Letters per line (avg) 33
Words per line (avg) 8
Letters per stanza (avg) 465
Words per stanza (avg) 118
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

36 sec read
81

William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare was an English playwright, poet, and actor, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's greatest dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon". more…

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