The Sonnets

The Sonnets were first published in 1609. The Sonnets are not part of a sequence, they can be opened anywhere. Each sonnet can be read as an individual poem, but can also be linked to others in theme and imagery. Most are addressed to a young man; the Dark Lady enters at Sonnet 127. While there is strong disagreement as to whether the Sonnets are truly autobiographical, they are considered by many to be the finest poetry in the English language. Although only fourteen lines long, each sonnet is masterfully crafted and reflects a deep emotional experience which belies its brevity. The Sonnets explore a wide range of human emotions and predicaments. A large number of the Sonnets deal with the passing of time and its devastation of beauty. Shakespeare puts forward various versions of immortality, from procreation to literature. Some sonnets praise love and beauty, while others explore jealousy, fear and hatred. They are poems of perfection and imperfection in love. They are poems of trust and of falsehood. The Sonnets immortalized Shakespeare, who, as Ben Jonson said, 'was not of an age, but for all time'.