William Shakespeare's sonnets: Difference between revisions
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Forming the bulk of [[William Shakespeare's poems]], the ''Sonnets'' intrigue, challenge, tantalize, and reward us as few other poetry collections do. All are written in the English sonnet form. It is not just the beauty and power of individual sonnets that engage us, but the story that their sequence seems to tell about Shakespeare's love life, whenever one reads the ''Sonnets'' in the order in which they appear in the 1609 Quarto. | |||
It goes something like this: The first 17 sonnets advise a beautiful young man to marry and produce a child. The next 109 sonnets urge the poet's love for him and claim that the poems will preserve his beauty. The supposed narrative concludes with 28 sonnets to or about a "dark lady." | |||
Evidence that puts the narrative in doubt seems to matter very little. Most critics and editors agree that the sonnets are only linked within specific clusters; they were written perhaps over many years and perhaps to or about different people. Only about 25 specify the sex of the beloved. | |||
Yet such facts surrender to the narrative pull of the 1609 collection. The persona of the poet and the sequence of emotions are so strong that few editors can resist describing the ''Sonnets'' in terms of their irresistible story.<ref>Mowat, Barbara A., and Paul Werstine. ''Shakespeare's Sonnets and Poems''. New York: Washington Square, 2006, 2004.</ref> | |||
== Early editions == | == Early editions == | ||
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== Other media == | == Other media == | ||
== Notes == | |||
<references> | |||
Revision as of 13:24, 20 June 2014
Forming the bulk of William Shakespeare's poems, the Sonnets intrigue, challenge, tantalize, and reward us as few other poetry collections do. All are written in the English sonnet form. It is not just the beauty and power of individual sonnets that engage us, but the story that their sequence seems to tell about Shakespeare's love life, whenever one reads the Sonnets in the order in which they appear in the 1609 Quarto.
It goes something like this: The first 17 sonnets advise a beautiful young man to marry and produce a child. The next 109 sonnets urge the poet's love for him and claim that the poems will preserve his beauty. The supposed narrative concludes with 28 sonnets to or about a "dark lady."
Evidence that puts the narrative in doubt seems to matter very little. Most critics and editors agree that the sonnets are only linked within specific clusters; they were written perhaps over many years and perhaps to or about different people. Only about 25 specify the sex of the beloved.
Yet such facts surrender to the narrative pull of the 1609 collection. The persona of the poet and the sequence of emotions are so strong that few editors can resist describing the Sonnets in terms of their irresistible story.[1]
Early editions
Quarto
- LUNA: 1609 Quarto
- Hamnet: STC 22353
Modern editions
Shakespeare's Sonnets can be purchased from Simon and Schuster.
- Hamnet link to Folger Edition: PR2753 .M6 2003 copy 2 v. 39
Translations
Other media
Notes
<references>
- ↑ Mowat, Barbara A., and Paul Werstine. Shakespeare's Sonnets and Poems. New York: Washington Square, 2006, 2004.