Sonnet 79: Whilst I Alone Did Call Upon Thy Aid

SONNETCAST – William Shakespeare's Sonnets Recited, Revealed, Relived

With Sonnet 79, William Shakespeare continues his lament, begun with Sonnet 78, that he no longer enjoys the exclusive privilege of writing poetry to and for his young lover, constructing an – objectively speaking fairly tenuous – argument why the young man should not be overly grateful to this Rival Poet for his efforts.

With a transactional tone taking over the second half of the sonnet, it pushes our perception further towards a possibility that Shakespeare is losing not only the appreciation and affection of his young lover but also his patronage, which, if the case, would possibly have serious implications in terms of his financial and social status.