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!