Poem Analysis: William Shakespeare - Sonnet 30

The last two lines in Shakespeare's Sonnet 30 are interesting because they provide unique exception to the tone of the preceding lines and succinctly state Shakespeare's message. Throughout the poem there is a very clearly established theme of sorrow and loss. The first twelve lines of the poem establish two main things about the speaker. His grief is caused by the loss of things and people he once treasured. He also uses numerous expressions of sadness such wailing, weeping, moaning, grieving and many others which show the reader that there of are great number of memories that affect him. The last two lines, which say, "But if the while I think on thee, dear friend,/All those losses are restored and sorrows end," (Sonnet 30 13-14) describe a memory which differs in both scope and effect. This memory is of one particular person that the speaker cared about, their lover. Rather than create unhappiness this memory restores joy. The happiness of past love is shown to be greater than and loss.