The Sonnets

Shakespeare's sonnets were first published in 1609, yet because of their unique form and provoking themes, they have endured the centuries. Shakespeare's sonnets address some of the deepest human emotions-love and beauty; jealousy and infidelity; and time and mortality. Some of the sonnets were directed to a man, while others to a woman. And some, such as sonnet 18-"Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?"-have joined the ranks of the most widely cited poems in English literature. Originally titled "Shakes-peares Sonnets," his 154 poems are faithfully reproduced in this classic reprint.