Shakespeare’s Sonnet Series

154 poems Themes: love, beauty, politics, morality First published in a 1609 collection Shakespeare’s name is hyphenated (Shake-speare) at bottom of every page, sparking controversy over whether or not he actually wrote the poems Some believe the sonnets are autobiographical, others think they are works of fiction

Structure Sonnets 1-17: “procreation sonnets” written to a young man, urging him to marry Sonnets 18-126: express poet’s love for a young man. Some say it is platonic, others say romantic Sonnets 127-152: express love for poet’s mistress Sonnets 153-154: allegories

Characters Fair Youth: the young man Dark Lady: woman poet had an affair with, has dark hair Rival Poet: some think he is Christopher Marlowe

Historical Significance Violated many sonnet “rules” of the time: themes other than love, political events, making fun of other poets This paved the way for future poets Some think series is a parody of Petrarch’s form, with Dark Lady being the stereotypical Fair Lady and a male muse rather than a female one

Now analyze Sonnet 18!