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A Little Lost Sleep Never Hurt Nobody

In both Sidney's Astrophil and Stella Sonnet 39 and Shakespeare's Sonnet 27, the lover, or speaker, is being portrayed as an insomniac. Both speakers are weary, but their respective attitude towards the sleep, or lack thereof, that awaits them is vastly different. The language in 27, although it seems to be negative, reflects a much more positive feeling toward insomnia, while that of 39 connotes more of a negative view.

39 immediately appears more dramatic. The speaker (meant to portray Astrophil) wails, "Come sleep! O sleep the certain knot of peace" (line 1). He describes sleep as "The poor man's wealth, the prisoner's release" (line 3). It is clear that the speaker is tired. He feels that he is a prisoner to his insomnia and seeks relief from it. In lines 5 and 6, the speaker begs sleep to "shield" him from "darts" of "despair," after which he then promises a "tribute" in return. 39's speaker would essentially do anything to get a reprieve from his unrest. Sleep seems to be his only refuge.

By contrast, Sonnet 27 portrays a speaker who seems to welcome the insomnia as it portends a journey in which his mind will dwell on thoughts of his love. Although Shakespeare's speaker is also tired, he states in Line 1, "I haste to my bed." It does not seem that the speaker is hastening out of a need for sleep, but rather to begin the "journey in [his] head" (line 3), in which he will see his love. He describes this journey as "a zealous pilgrimage to thee" (line 6). The word "zealous" in particular connotes that the journey is not thought of in a negative light. The speaker looks forward to it with zeal.

Furthermore, the word "pilgrimage" is defined as "a journey to a holy place" or "a journey to a place with special significance" (Encarta Dictionary). For the lover, thinking of his love is a sacred experience. The fact that it keeps him awake is not particularly bemoaned in the sonnet.

In terms of overall tone, the two sonnets can appear somewhat confusing. 39 uses words like "peace," "smooth," and "sweetest." However, it is the more negative of the two in the way that the speaker laments his insomnia. He describes himself as a "prisoner" being assailed by "despair" (lines 3 and 6).

27 uses words such as "drooping," "darkness," and "ghastly" (lines 7, 8, and 11), but it presents a more positive viewpoint in that it describes the lover's "shadow" as a "jewel" that "makes black night beauteous, and her old face new" (lines 12-13). His pilgrimage keeps his "drooping eyelids open wide" (line 7), and the speaker does not think of this as a bad thing.

Thus, although both sonnets present a weary lover who pines for his love in a perpetual state of sleeplessness, the resulting attitude of the respective speakers defers. Astrophil is big on Stella, but he could sure use some sleep. As for Shakespeare's speaker, he probably just has not gotten to the breaking point yet. Either way, good luck to both of them.

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