Shakespeare: Poems

by William Shakespeare, Graham Handley (Editor)

The Everyman's Library Pocket Poets hardcover series is popular for its compact size and reasonable price which does not compromise content. Shakespeare contains selections from Shakespeare's work, including his sonnets, his narrative poems Venus and Adonis and The Rape of Lucrece , songs and speeches, and an index of first lines.

Genres: Poetry, Classics, Shakespeare, Fiction, Literature

256 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1958

About the author

William Shakespeare was an English playwright, poet, and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon" (or simply "the Bard"). His extant works, including collaborations, consist of some 39 plays, 154 sonnets, three long narrative poems, and a few other verses, some of uncertain authorship. His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright. Shakespeare remains arguably the most influential writer in the English language, and his works continue to be studied and reinterpreted.
Shakespeare was born and raised in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire. At the age of 18, he married Anne Hathaway, with whom he had three children: Susanna, and twins Hamnet and Judith. Sometime between 1585 and 1592, he began a successful career in London as an actor, writer, and part-owner ("sharer") of a playing company called the Lord Chamberlain's Men, later known as the King's Men after the ascension of King James VI and I of Scotland to the English throne. At age 49 (around 1613), he appears to have retired to Stratford, where he died three years later. Few records of Shakespeare's private life survive; this has stimulated considerable speculation about such matters as his physical appearance, his sexuality, his religious beliefs, and even certain fringe theories as to whether the works attributed to him were written by others.
Shakespeare produced most of his known works between 1589 and 1613. His early plays were primarily comedies and histories and are regarded as some of the best works produced in these genres. He then wrote mainly tragedies until 1608, among them Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Othello, King Lear, and Macbeth, all considered to be among the finest works in the English language. In the last phase of his life, he wrote tragicomedies (also known as romances) and collaborated with other playwrights.
Many of Shakespeare's plays were published in editions of varying quality and accuracy during his lifetime. However, in 1623, John Heminge and Henry Condell, two fellow actors and friends of Shakespeare's, published a more definitive text known as the First Folio, a posthumous collected edition of Shakespeare's dramatic works that includes 36 of his plays. Its Preface was a prescient poem by Ben Jonson, a former rival of Shakespeare, that hailed Shakespeare with the now famous epithet: "not of an age, but for all time".

Reviews

[Isaac · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not for the easily distracted or squeamish.

Finally getting used to the iambic pentameter flow that Shakespeare does like a boss. Poetry is a new field of exploration for myself and this was a great way to be introduced. I am most impressed by the fact that both Venus and Adonis and The Rape of Lucrece are stories that were already in circulation. However, Shakespeare takes these quick tales and stretches them out in order to squeeze out every drop of emotion and contemplation that he can muster.

What I gathered from the two biggies...

Venus and Adonis - loved the things Adonis would say back to Venus. He is the Ron Swanson of Shakespeare's poetic mind.

The Rape of Lucrece - Uffdah. This narrative poem is tough to get through. Of all the things to go through in detail, probably the worst topic to stall in for a 900 tailspin. Taking the name Tarquin out of possible baby names.

[Karim Anani · Rating 5 out of 5]

That Shakespeare wasn't half-bad.

[Daniel Callister · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read a different collection that I couldn't find on Goodreads, this is to represent it. What I read was the complete poems. Literally everything Shakespeare wrote besides his plays and sonnets. I didn't really enjoy these, although Rape of Lucrece sounded like a promising story and perhaps would have made a good play.

from RAPE OF LUCRECE:

“So that in vent’ring ill we leave to be
The things we are, for that which we expect;
And this ambitious foul infirmity,
In having much, torments us with defect
Of that we have: so then we do neglect
The thing we have, and all for want of wit,
Make something nothing by augmenting it.”

“O comfort-killing Night, image of hell,
Dim register and notary of shame,
Black stage for tragedies and murders fell,
Vast sin-concealing chaos, nurse of blame!
Blind muffled bawd, dark harbor for defame,
Grim cave of death, whisp’ring conspirator
With close-tongu’d treason and the ravisher!”

“...But no perfection is so absolute,
That some impurity doth not pollute.”

from VENUS AND ADONIS:

“Foul cank’ring rust the hidden treasure frets,
But gold that’s put to use more gold begets”

[Adam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Aside from the sonnets, I felt that the snippets of speeches and songs from his plays were more difficult to understand without the context of the broader stories (only some of which I was generally aware). I think I just need to read the full plays.

[Gracity · Rating 3 out of 5]

The poems are probably considered very good to most people, but I really wouldn’t recommend to people who don’t like or understand poetry.

[Mei Hua]

When (early) modern English era started.....