The Sonnets

By William Shakespeare

First published in 1609, “The Sonnets” of William Shakespeare are a collection of 154 loosely connected 14 line poems. Considered by many to be among some of the greatest love poetry ever written much debate surrounds the context of the poetry. It has been suggested that the work may be semi-autobiographical but no real evidence firmly supports this notion. The themes of the poems contained within this volume are varied and include such subjects as the passage of time, love, beauty, and mortality. Some scholars have interpreted the collection as a parody of the 300-year-old tradition of Petrarchan love sonnets. This analysis arises out of the fact that Shakespeare inverts conventional gender roles creating a more complex depiction of human love. Seen as a new type of love poetry when first written, “The Sonnets” largely languished in obscurity until the renewed interest in Shakespeare’s work which accompanied the Romantic literary movement of the 19th century. Regardless of Shakespeare’s intent behind the writing of “The Sonnets”, these poems can be appreciated individually or as a whole as examples of William Shakespeare’s true literary genius. This edition includes a preface and annotations by Henry N. Hudson, an introduction by Charles H. Herford, and a biographical afterword.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Digireads.com Publishing
• Release date: Sep 21, 2020
• ISBN: 9781420977615

William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare is the world's greatest ever playwright. Born in 1564, he split his time between Stratford-upon-Avon and London, where he worked as a playwright, poet and actor. In 1582 he married Anne Hathaway. Shakespeare died in 1616 at the age of fifty-two, leaving three children—Susanna, Hamnet and Judith. The rest is silence.

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THE SONNETS

By WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

Preface and Annotations by

HENRY N. HUDSON

Introduction by

CHARLES H. HERFORD

The Sonnets

By William Shakespeare

Preface and Annotations by Henry N. Hudson

Introduction by Charles H. Herford

Print ISBN 13: 978-1-4209-7594-9

eBook ISBN 13: 978-1-4209-7761-5

This edition copyright © 2021. Digireads.com Publishing.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

Cover Image: a detail of an illustration by Charles Robinson from The songs and sonnets of William Shakespeare, London, Duckworth & co., 1915.

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CONTENTS

PREFACE

INTRODUCTION

SONNETS

I

II

III

IV

V

VI

VII

VIII

IX

X

XI

XII

XIII

XIV

XV

XVI

XVII

XVIII

XIX

XX

XXI

XXII

XXIII

XXIV

XXV

XXVI

XXVII

XXVIII

XXIX

XXX

XXXI

XXXII

XXXIII

XXXIV

XXXV

XXXVI

XXXVII

XXXVIII

XXXIX

XL

XLI

XLII

XLIII

XLIV

XLV

XLVI

XLVII

XLVIII

XLIX

L

LI

LII

LIII

LIV

LV

LVI

LVII

LVIII

LIX

LX

LXI

LXII

LXIII

LXIV

LXV

LXVI

LXVII

LXVIII

LXIX

LXX

LXXI

LXXII

LXXIII

LXXIV

LXXV

LXXVI

LXXVII

LXXVIII

LXXIX

LXXX

LXXXI

LXXXII

LXXXIII

LXXXIV

LXXXV

LXXXVI

LXXXVII

LXXXVIII

LXXXIX

XC

XCI

XCII

XCIII

XCIV

XCV

XCVI

XCVII

XCVIII

XCIX

C

CI

CII

CIII

CIV

CV

CVI

CVII

CVIII

CIX

CX

CXI

CXII

CXIII

CXIV

CXV

CXVI

CXVII

CXVIII

CXIX

CXX

CXXI

CXXII

CXXIII

CXXIV

CXXV

CXXVI

CXXVII

CXXXIII

CXXIX

CXXX

CXXXI

CXXXII

CXXXIII

CXXXIV

CXXXV

CXXXVI

CXXXVII

CXXXVIII

CXXXIX

CXL

CXLI

CXLII

CXLIII

CXLIV

CXLV

CXLVI

CXLVII

CXLVIII

CXLIX

CL

CLI

CLII

CLIII

CLIV

BIOGRAPHICAL AFTERWORD

Preface

Book called Shakespeare’s Sonnets was entered in the Stationers’ register by Thomas Thorpe, on the 20th of May, 1609, and published the same year. Thorpe was somewhat eminent in his line of business, and his edition of the Sonnets was preluded with a book-seller’s dedication, very quaint and affected both in the language and in the manner of printing; the printing being in small capitals, with a period after each word, and the wording thus: To the only begetter of these ensuing Sonnets, Mr. W. H , all happiness, and that eternity promised by our ever-living Poet, wisheth the well-wishing adventurer in setting forth, T. T.

There was no other edition of the Sonnets till 1640, when they were republished by Thomas Cotes, but in a totally different order from that of 1609, being cut, seemingly at random, into seventy-four little poems, with a quaint heading to each, and with parts of The Passionate Pilgrim interspersed. This edition is not regarded as of any authority, save as showing that within twenty-four years after the Poet’s death the Sonnets were so far from being thought to have that unity of cause, or purpose, or occasion, which has since been attributed to them, as to be set forth under an arrangement quite incompatible with any such idea.

In the preface to Venus and Adonis I quote a passage from the Palladis Tamia of Francis Meres, which speaks of the Poet’s sugared Sonnets among his private friends. This ascertains that a portion, at least, of the Sonnets were written, and well known in private circles, before 1598. It naturally infers, also, that they were written on divers occasions and for divers persons, some of them being intended, perhaps, as personal compliments, and others merely as exercises of fancy. Copies of them were most likely multiplied, to some extent, in manuscript; since this would naturally follow both from their intrinsic excellence, and from the favour with which the mention of them by Meres shows them to have been regarded. Probably the author added to the number from time to time after 1598; and, as he grew in public distinction and private acquaintance, there would almost needs have been a growing ambition or curiosity among his friends and admirers, to have each as large a collection of these little treasures as they could. What more natural or likely than that, among those to whom, in this course of private circulation, they became known, there should be some one person or more who took pride and pleasure in making or procuring transcripts of as many as he could hear of, and thus getting together, if possible, a full set of them?

Two of the Sonnets, the 138th and the 144th, were printed, with some variations, as a part of The Passionate Pilgrim in 1599. In the same publication, which was doubtless made ignorantly and without authority, there are also several others, which, if really Shakespeare’s, have as much right to a place among the Sonnets as many that are already there. At all events, the fact of those two being thus detached and appearing by themselves may be fairly held to argue a good deal as to the manner in which the Sonnets were probably written and circulated.

We have seen that Thorpe calls the Mr. W. H., to whom he dedicates his edition, the only begetter of these ensuing Sonnets. The word begetter has been commonly understood as meaning the person who was the cause or occasion of the Sonnets being written, and to whom they were originally addressed. The taking of the word in this sense has caused a great deal of controversy, and exercised a vast amount of critical ingenuity, in endeavouring to trace a thread of continuity through the whole series, and to discover the person who had the somewhat equivocal honour of begetting or inspiring them. And such, no doubt, is the natural and proper sense of the word; but what it might mean in the mouth of one so anxious, apparently, to speak out of the common way, is a question not so easily settled. That the Sonnets could not, in this sense, have been all begotten by one person, has to be admitted; for, if it be certain that some of them were addressed to a man, it is equally certain that others were addressed to a woman. But the word begetter is found to have been sometimes used in the sense of obtainer or procurer; and such is the only sense which, in Thorpe’s affected language, it will bear, consistently with the internal evidence of the Sonnets themselves. As for the theories, therefore, which have mainly grown from taking Thorp’s only begetter to mean only inspirer, I set them all aside as being irrelevant to the subject. I have no doubt, that the only begetter of these ensuing Sonnets was simply the person who made or procured transcripts of them, and got them all together, either for his own use or for publication, and to whom Thorpe was indebted for his copy of them.

But Thorpe wishes to his Mr. W. H. that eternity promised by our ever-living Poet. Promised by the Poet to whom? To Mr. W. H. or to himself, or to some one else? For aught appears to the contrary, it may be to either one, or perhaps two, of these; for in some of the Sonnets, as the 18th and 19th, the Poet promises an eternity of youth and fame both to his verse and to the person he is addressing. Here may be the proper place for remarking that the 20th has the line, A man in hue all hues in his controlling. Here the original prints hues in Italic type and with a capital, Hews, just as Will is printed in the 135th and the 136th, where the author is evidently playing upon his own name. Tyrwhitt conjectured that a play was intended on the name of Hughes, and that one W. Hughes may have been the Mr. W. H. of Thorpe’s dedication, and the person addressed in the Sonnets. It is indeed possible that the 2oth, and perhaps some others, may have been addressed to a personal friend of the Poets so named, who was the procurer of the whole series for publication: I say possible, and that seems the most that can be said about it.

Great effort has been made, to find in the Sonnets some deeper or other meaning than meets the ear, and to fix upon them, generally, a personal and autobiographical character. It must indeed be owned that there is in several of them an earnestness of tone, and in some few a subdued pathos, which strongly argues them to be expressions of the Poet’s real feelings respecting himself, his condition, and the person or persons addressed. This is particularly the case with a series of ten, beginning with the 1o9th. Something the same may be said of the 23d, 25th, and 26th, where we find a striking resemblance to some expressions used in the dedications of the Venus and Adonis and

Reviews for The Sonnets

[therebelprince · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A stunning edition. Incredibly dense but rarely arrogant! Love it.

[dinadansfriend · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A difficult art form, and laid out by a master.

[helenliz_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was narrated by multiple narrators, the great and good of the acting profession and it was a delight to listen to. If I was going to quibble, the volume level was a little uneven, and some seemed to have been recorded in a huge, empty auditorium. I also think that it might have benefited from allowing a little longer between each sonnet, or giving the number for each one. Having said that, the craftmanship in here is exquisite. The words, the use of language, the way the stresses on a repeated word changed as it was used multiple times in a sonnet, it all makes for a beautiful listening experience. I also noticed that the tone changes as you move through the sequence. The initial ones feel very young and idealistic, then there moves into a period of death or loss featuring and towards the end there seems to be a bitter or disappointed note creeping in at times. I now want to find a copy with some scholarly notes on each one and read them all over again allowing myself to savour each one. This Shakespeare chappie, he's good!

[neverstopreading-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Shakespeare's poems deserve to be read and studies, but they also deserve to be heard. Simon Callow has a wonderful voice, but I wish the number of the sonnets was announced as he read them.

[wassilissa · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Shakespeares Dramen kennt die ganze Welt, heute noch werden sie gespielt. Auch seine Sonette sind bekannt, etwa Sonett 18: „Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? (Soll ich dich einem Sommertag vergleichen?)“ oder 66 „Tired with all these, for restful death I cry“. Ich finde diese Ausgabe sehr schön, da sie die englische und die deutsche Sprache gegenüber stellt. Und Shakespeares Englisch ist einfach schön zu lesen, weil es rhythmisch und melodisch ist: „ To me, fair friend, you never can be old, For as you were when first your eye I eyed, Such seems your beauty still…”(Sonett 104)Es ist recht interessant, im Nachwort zu lesen, dass Shakespeares Sonette deutlich mehr als seine Dramen Autobiografisches zu transportieren scheinen. So ist die Identität von „Mr. W. H.“, dem „Erzeuger der Sonette“, nie aufgeklärt worden. Der Wikipdia-Artikel zu den Sonetten ist sehr ausführlich: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shakespeares_Sonette

[krystlelow · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

What can I say? If you love Shakespeare, you're definitely gonna love this one.

All his Sonnets in one book, along with detailed explanation notes to help with the meanings of each sonnet. Loved it!

[jorgecarvajal-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Music to mine ears.

[mothwing-2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

There are poems which are life rafts and serve much the same purpose, and this collection is full of them. They're a big part of who I am and where I am today.

[aliceanna-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Beautiful, intelligent, lyrical, romantic, clever, bitter, amusing, sorrowful -- the gamut in 14 lines at a time. Pure genius.

[fearless2012 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Certainly I do not admire this guy for the conceit of his audience, although I was curious to see if the affectation of the style would match the conceit it provoked, or whether it was rather different and undeserving of it, that is, unworthy of the negative association. Certainly the poetry is I think the better part of it, preferable to the plays, which are bloody and gloomy. (I got a 'complete works' of William S., but mostly for the poetry.) Many of them are about the most infamous wars, and even the ones that go by the reputation of being romantic are generally gory and distasteful.... (indeed, the comedy is rather somber).... I think that the reputation rather supports itself beyond a certain point; people read it to dip into the conceit, I think, of the people who read it. Part of the conceit is for things historical, and William S.'s chronological position, so early in the post-medieval period, benefits him, I think, it's the oldest (and, therefore, the best?) stuff that is generally intelligible in the original. Even more than that, though, the reputation of it being a sort of quasi-sacred Canon of super-highly valued works.... the reputation supports the reputation. It's what people are used to thinking. [And this conceit really does not require much knowledge; it's a common thing, albeit one that may be unimproved by much learning.] But if there's something in it besides egotistical war, it must be in the poetry. Surely alot of it is just over-rated because it's part of the Canon. And yet the sonnets have at least the stated intention of facilitating fertility, and not just the more egoic desires of old greybeards who know about the kings of Britain. But there's the question of how well these poems actually serve love, in real life. We know that people say this or that about it all, but what real utility does this sort of thing have for real love in a man's life?For example, consider the following exchange, which I always thought was an indirect reference to this (i.e., William S.): "'.... and envied me Jane's beauty. I do not like to boast of my own child, but to be sure, Jane-- one does not often see anybody better-looking. It is what everybody says. I do not trust my own partiality. When she was only fifteen, there was a gentleman at my brother Gardiner's in town so much in love with her that my sister-in-law was sure that he would make her an offer before we came away. But, however, he did not. Perhaps he thought her too young. However, he wrote some verses on her, and very pretty they were.''And so ended his affection,' said Elizabeth impatiently. 'There has been many a one, I fancy, overcome in the same way. I wonder who first discovered the efficacy of poetry in driving away love!' 'I have been used to consider poetry as the *food* of love,' said Darcy. 'Of a fine, stout, healthy love it may. Everything nourishes what is strong already. But if it be only a slight, thin sort of inclination, I am convinced that one good sonnet will starve it entirely away.'"~Pride and Prejudice, chapter 9. ..... I hope that my criticism will not be mistaken for (gasp) communistic radicalism, (although no one would mistake William S. for the voice of the people). Although I suppose in general I prefer the poetry/music of the 20th century to that of the pre-18th century (pre-Classical, on the timeline of classical music). The Beach Boys, for example, wrote alot of good love poetry/music, e.g., "Forever" from 1970. Fancy 'baroque' or classical poetry/music, like Mozart or Coleridge, can be nice too, but the very early period like William S. I don't like so well. [*over*-fancy]. For one thing, there's the spelling, and the language, and so on. Certainly with William S. there's a feeling of historicism, quite often, with a crusty accumulation of time-- Roman times and medieval times, piled on top of each other. (Coleridge is rather newer-- the Age of Discovery.) In alot of the William S. stuff, you get that-- the post-medieval (pre-modern) take on Roman times.....And what is the effect of the poetry itself? Does it have the power to create a desire to fulfill the literal advice? Or does it make it merely an affectation, to be spoken but not believed? What is its character-- is it a true lover, or a false friend? [Can any lovely feeling survive the transition to sonnet-making, and still be felt?]All that I can say is that I read it all without knowing any of those feelings so disdained by those who call themselves wiser. I actually felt them quite repetitive, and more in love with language than any use of it. It's gaudy verse, and often more impressed with the necessity of love than any ability to impress it....[Even when he speaks of love, he does not confine himself to his subject, but introduces words and images that smack of other things; he speaks of highfalutin things, elevated, various, and uncertain, and then says, "love", and "love" again.] I've actually read simple folk poetry, ballads, which I like better than this. Some of them are good, some are bad, all are accessible enough, and none of them have the lying intricacies of William S. [And maybe he was wrong to use a form so foreign to the language; it doesn't sound natural.] ..... The speech is too guarded to be the "food of love". (Instead of enabling vivid images and all that, the formula only cuts him off from clear communication.) [And it's certainly not all about love; he goes off and on and on about Time and Death, as if to say, 'Ha haha, I know about what truely matters.' But this is a conceit. Only the form remains constant, the actual object of the writing doesn't stay true.] If he is a wit, he has used it only for affected speech. ..... And although I can generally find my way to the meaning, it feels more the formula than anything. All rhyme has a form, but his is rather rigid. If you read it long enough, you start to wonder what it's like not to be so weirdly abstract.... (and then remember the straightforward tales of bloody tyrants) [And speaking of tyrants-- he calls time one, and who would tell their lover, as he does, 'Soon you'll be old, but you'll always have this note', that says, what, 'Soon you'll be old....'?.... Try living in the moment, William, if this is what happens when you don't.] I wonder at the sincerity of it all; he somewhat condescends to feel. ........ At any rate, the strawberries and cream of Wimbledon could well go on without William S., and I'm not really of the spirit to support that self-serving scholarship that delves into all that. Although I'll admit its not the worst thing I've ever read; it's not monstrously cynical, in its original form; it's merely ill-suited to its stated purpose. [.... In fact, I'd go so far to say that Mr. S. is *not* the most over-rated writer of all the world, since there are others.... but, let's not talk of that.] [Sometimes a rhyme pleases, but even at its best, there is an emotional distance I feel which blocks him off.... there's a lordly silence, as though he once drew close, then suddenly turned away.] (7/10)

[cbl_tn · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I studied a few of Shakespeare's sonnets in high school, but hadn't read any of the others until now. I think the teachers/textbook editors picked the cream of the crop for high school students – XVIII (Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?), LXXIII (That time of year thou mayst in me behold...), CXVI (Let me not to the marriage of true minds Admit impediments). While a few others stood out for me, many of them struck me as just so-so, with over-repetitive themes.The sonnets don't seem to have been collated in a random order. There is a logical progression from one sonnet to the next. Some sonnets echo the previous sonnet, while others are a continuation of thought. As a whole, I prefer the Dark Lady sonnets to the rest of the collection. I was losing interest in the “you're so perfect” theme, so the Dark Lady sonnets were a welcome change. I'm glad I read the collection once. I'm not sure it's something I'll do again, or at least not until I've read all of the plays.

[charlie68_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The sonnets are great but the readings... I've heard better. Where the reader puts more feeling into it.

[abigailadams26 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Shakespeare's Sonnets, those 154 beautifully-worded, nimbly-constructed poems, are not works with which one is ever "done." This collection of gems is something to revisit from time to time, and cliched though it may be, it yields some new understanding at every reading. I cannot say that I "know" these poems, though I have read each of them a number of times. Perhaps the two with which I am most familiar are #116: Let me not to the marriage of true minds / Admit impediments,... which features prominently in the film, Sense and Sensibility. Alas - the power of media... The other, and my all-time favorite, is #29: When in disgrace with Fortune and men's eyes / I all alone beweep my outcast state... This latter has always appealed to the more depressive side of my character (those who love Christmas carols will be unsurprised to learn that my favorite verse of We Three Kings is the one with all the sorrow, sighing, bleeding and dying).It is not a coincidence that these two, Sonnets 116 and 29, are also the only two which I have committed to memory. Perhaps it is owing to the fact that I can call them to mind at any given moment, that I have spent my time playing with the pleasant rhythm of their lines, that I feel I understand them best? Memorization is not a pedagogical tool much in favor these days, but although I am no proponent of learning anything by rote, I sometimes wonder if memorizing might not be a wonderful way of improving mental discipline, and even, furthering eventual understanding...As for editions, of which there are no shortage, I'm afraid I do not own one of those sensible, scholarly versions, with helpful notes. No, I have a gift edition, put out by the British publisher, Tiger Books. It is arranged with one sonnet per page, and decorated with original color illustrations (mostly in the way of floral motifs) by Ian Penney, as well as thirty Elizabethan and Jacobean miniatures. Very pretty, and not terribly useful. But being the resourceful scholar I am, I have provided myself with a copy of Helen Vendler's The Art of Shakespeare's Sonnets, whose 672 pages and CD should make all clear that was previously muddled.In short: I am by no means done with these poems, and when the time becomes available (I amuse myself sometimes with thoughts such as these), I intend to study them in greater detail. If you, gentle reader, have not yet had the pleasure of perusing these exquisite pieces... what can I say? Get thee to a library or bookstore with all haste.

[comfypants · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A chore to read. Shakespeare's skills with language are wasted on expressing inane ideas.

[lcoale1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

As someone who really grapples with understanding Shakespeare, I found his sonnets easier to comprehend than the works I'd previously read without the guidance of a goddess English teacher (so, Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, and The Tempest). I was also reminded of the Twilight saga with every sonnet that I could comprehend (probably 78% of them; bed-time reading was a bad idea). I'm not sure if that's good or bad.

[bookomaniac-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Zeer verfijnd en klassiek. De sonnetten zijn wat weerbarstig zonder uitleg, maar enkele ervan zijn echte pareltjes.

[whicker_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Classic poetry at its best. What more can be said.

[lyzadanger · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

My biggest piece of advice to first-time readers (like I just was): take your time. Maybe not as much time as I took, if you don't want--I read two or three sonnets at a sitting, so it took me months to finish the entire collection. I was able to discover my own favorite sonnet, which isn't one of the standard favorites (#44). I do like the Folgers series of Shakespeare (I like the notes on the facing page), but I also consulted other references (mostly online) as I read.

[mjharris_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

De Vere at his absolute best, ripping off sugar'd specimens to amaze and delight his elizabethan court."Would he had blotted 'a thousand..." but these are keepers!

[vicarofdibley · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

the best classic i love shakespear

[porian_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Shakespeare is smooth! I'm going to have to use some of those lines on my next victim, ahem, girlfriend. What girl won't fall for lines like, "And in some perfumes is there more delight/ than in the breath that from my mistress reeks." Come on. You can't beat that.