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Love Poems and Sonnets
The greatest sonnets ever written, by the greatest poet and playwright in the English language
160 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1608
142 people are currently reading
5015 people want to read
About the author
William Shakespeare
27.6k books46.9k followersWilliam 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".
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".
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 95 reviews
June 19, 2022
My favorite Shakespeare is the poem Sigh No More from Much Ado About Nothing, so I thought I might like his sonnets. They were hit and miss for me though, with more misses than hits. The hits made it all worthwhile though. Here are two of my favorites.
12
"When I do count the clock that tells the time,
And see the brave day sunk in hideous night;
When I behold the violet past prime,
And sable curls all silver’d o’er with white;
When lofty trees I see barren of leaves,
Which erst from heat did canopy the herd,
And summer’s green all girded up in sheaves,
Borne on the bier with white and bristly beard,
Then of thy beauty do I question make,
That thou among the wastes of time must go,
Since sweets and beauties do themselves forsake
And die as fast as they see others grow;
And nothing ‘gainst Time’s scythe can make defence
Save breed, to brave him when he takes thee hence."
106
"When in the chronicle of wasted time
I see descriptions of the fairest wights,
and beauty making beautiful old rhyme
In praise of ladies dead and lovely knights,
Then, in the blazon of sweet beauty’s best,
Of hand, of foot, of lip, of eye, of brow,
I see their antique pen would have express’d
Even such a beauty as you master now.
So all their praises are but prophecies
Of this our time, all you prefiguring;
And, for they look’d but with divining eyes,
They had not skill enough your worth to sing:
For we, which now behold these present days,
Have eyes to wonder, but lack tongues to praise."
Of the four love poems included in this volume, I liked Venus and Adonis best. It tells of Venus, the goddess of love, running after the hunter Adonis.
“The tender spring upon thy tempting lip
Shews thee unripe; yet mayst thou well be tasted;
Make use of time, let not advantage slip;
Beauty within itself should not be wasted:
Fair flowers that are not gather’d in their prime
Rot and consume themselves in little time.”
Adonis is more interested in going off after a boar, and when the boar kills him, Venus puts a curse on love that we still live with today:
“Since thou art dead, O, here I prophesy,
Sorrow on love hereafter shall attend:
It shall be waited on with jealousy …
It shall be fickle, false and full of fraud …
Strike the wise dumb, and teach the fool to speak.”
It took me a while, but I’m glad I read these.
12
"When I do count the clock that tells the time,
And see the brave day sunk in hideous night;
When I behold the violet past prime,
And sable curls all silver’d o’er with white;
When lofty trees I see barren of leaves,
Which erst from heat did canopy the herd,
And summer’s green all girded up in sheaves,
Borne on the bier with white and bristly beard,
Then of thy beauty do I question make,
That thou among the wastes of time must go,
Since sweets and beauties do themselves forsake
And die as fast as they see others grow;
And nothing ‘gainst Time’s scythe can make defence
Save breed, to brave him when he takes thee hence."
106
"When in the chronicle of wasted time
I see descriptions of the fairest wights,
and beauty making beautiful old rhyme
In praise of ladies dead and lovely knights,
Then, in the blazon of sweet beauty’s best,
Of hand, of foot, of lip, of eye, of brow,
I see their antique pen would have express’d
Even such a beauty as you master now.
So all their praises are but prophecies
Of this our time, all you prefiguring;
And, for they look’d but with divining eyes,
They had not skill enough your worth to sing:
For we, which now behold these present days,
Have eyes to wonder, but lack tongues to praise."
Of the four love poems included in this volume, I liked Venus and Adonis best. It tells of Venus, the goddess of love, running after the hunter Adonis.
“The tender spring upon thy tempting lip
Shews thee unripe; yet mayst thou well be tasted;
Make use of time, let not advantage slip;
Beauty within itself should not be wasted:
Fair flowers that are not gather’d in their prime
Rot and consume themselves in little time.”
Adonis is more interested in going off after a boar, and when the boar kills him, Venus puts a curse on love that we still live with today:
“Since thou art dead, O, here I prophesy,
Sorrow on love hereafter shall attend:
It shall be waited on with jealousy …
It shall be fickle, false and full of fraud …
Strike the wise dumb, and teach the fool to speak.”
It took me a while, but I’m glad I read these.
March 23, 2016
I truly enjoyed reading these remarkable sonnets. It was a difficult read because I'm not used to read poetry. And also the old language was at times difficult to understand. I have to say that I learned new vocabulary, which I do love, even though sometimes it slowed me down or made me read a verse more than twice.
I took my time to read these sonnets in the past few months. They were like a special treat you give yourself after a delicious meal, a truffle, or a Belgian chocolate.
The mastery of Shakespeare's writing stands out throughout all the poems. I'm quoting a couple of passages that I felt drawn to because of their beauty:
"If I could write the beauty of your eyes, And in fresh numbers number all your graces, The age to come would say 'This poet lies;
Such heavenly touches never touched earthly faces."
"... Thou in losing me shalt win much glory:
And I by this will be a gainer too;
For bending all my loving thoughts on thee,
The injuries that to myself I do,
Doing the vantage, double-vantage me.
Such is my love, to thee I do belong,
That for thy right, myself will bear all wrong."
"Love is not love
Which alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove:
O, no! It is an ever-fixed mark,
That looks on tempests and is never shaken;
It is the star to every wandering bark,
Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken."
"Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
But bears it out even to the edge of doom.
If this be error and upon me proved,
I never writ, nor no man ever loved."
I took my time to read these sonnets in the past few months. They were like a special treat you give yourself after a delicious meal, a truffle, or a Belgian chocolate.
The mastery of Shakespeare's writing stands out throughout all the poems. I'm quoting a couple of passages that I felt drawn to because of their beauty:
"If I could write the beauty of your eyes, And in fresh numbers number all your graces, The age to come would say 'This poet lies;
Such heavenly touches never touched earthly faces."
"... Thou in losing me shalt win much glory:
And I by this will be a gainer too;
For bending all my loving thoughts on thee,
The injuries that to myself I do,
Doing the vantage, double-vantage me.
Such is my love, to thee I do belong,
That for thy right, myself will bear all wrong."
"Love is not love
Which alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove:
O, no! It is an ever-fixed mark,
That looks on tempests and is never shaken;
It is the star to every wandering bark,
Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken."
"Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
But bears it out even to the edge of doom.
If this be error and upon me proved,
I never writ, nor no man ever loved."
February 28, 2020
Shakespeare es uno de los grandes versificadores de la lengua inglesa. Su cadencia es elegante y sonora. Pero en lo que destaca por completo es por su capacidad para reflexionar sobre los grandes temas mientras cuenta una historia apasionante. Se nota, por supuesto, en los dos primeros poemas narrativos de este volumen. Los sonetos, como carecen de la narratividad deliciosa del bardo, se quedan en la reflexión y la belleza del verso, que no es poco decir pero tampoco suficiente después de leer La violación de Lucrecia.
February 18, 2021
“Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks within his bending sickle's compass come.”
April 4, 2021
Biraz uzun bir okumayla bitirdim. Sindirerek okunması gereken, her sayfada her satırda ayrı ayrı anlamların çıkarılabileceği özenli şiirler. Özellikle Lükres’in İğfali ve Venüs ile Adonis eşsiz bir akıcılıkla ilerliyor. Çevirinin zorluğunu da hesaba katarsak, Talat Sait Halman ne kadar büyük bir iş çıkarmış görmüş oluyoruz.
Bir önemli not kendime, bu kitabı okumamla beraber, Shakespeare’in tüm eserlerini okumuş bulunuyorum. Kendime koyduğum büyük bir hedefi tamamlamanın haklı gururunu yaşıyorum vs gibi klasik bir yorum yazacaktım ama vazgeçtim.
Bazı eserler vardır bir değil bir kaç kez okunması gereken. İşte Shakespeare’in eserleri de bu tip eserlerden. O yüzden bazılarının tekrar okumalarını yapacağım. Bana derseniz hangileri en çok aklında kaldı? Elbette tarih serisi derim. Kral Henry Sonrasında Fırtına, Hamlet, Othello ve elbette bir diğer klasik olan Romeo ve Juliet.
Bir önemli not kendime, bu kitabı okumamla beraber, Shakespeare’in tüm eserlerini okumuş bulunuyorum. Kendime koyduğum büyük bir hedefi tamamlamanın haklı gururunu yaşıyorum vs gibi klasik bir yorum yazacaktım ama vazgeçtim.
Bazı eserler vardır bir değil bir kaç kez okunması gereken. İşte Shakespeare’in eserleri de bu tip eserlerden. O yüzden bazılarının tekrar okumalarını yapacağım. Bana derseniz hangileri en çok aklında kaldı? Elbette tarih serisi derim. Kral Henry Sonrasında Fırtına, Hamlet, Othello ve elbette bir diğer klasik olan Romeo ve Juliet.
October 20, 2023
"Mas no verás marchita tu eterna primavera,
ni perderás tampoco lo bello que en ti crezca,
ni alardeará la muerte de que una sombra seas,
cuando en eternos versos tu nombre prevalezca."
(no es esta la recopilación que leí)
Al principio la escritura de Shakeapeare me tenía al borde del sillón, aferrada al libro, curiosa por lo que se contaba y el "love" a quien le escribió; sin embargo, con el pasar de la casa mi interes fue perdiendose y las rimas comenzaron a sonarme baratas. Aún así, lo recomiendo leerlo para conocer esta etapa de William.
ni perderás tampoco lo bello que en ti crezca,
ni alardeará la muerte de que una sombra seas,
cuando en eternos versos tu nombre prevalezca."
(no es esta la recopilación que leí)
Al principio la escritura de Shakeapeare me tenía al borde del sillón, aferrada al libro, curiosa por lo que se contaba y el "love" a quien le escribió; sin embargo, con el pasar de la casa mi interes fue perdiendose y las rimas comenzaron a sonarme baratas. Aún así, lo recomiendo leerlo para conocer esta etapa de William.
October 27, 2022
Have yet to find anything else that relaxes my cat as effectively as reading to her Shakespeare's sonnets. You might think it is the gentle rhythm of iambic pentameter, but having now read many other poets effecting the same meter, I feel confident in saying there is something about Shakespeare's iambic pentameter that calms her more than the rest.
Also she likes the racy bits.
Also she likes the racy bits.
Want to read
January 27, 2010The complete works of Shakespeare (including all the plays, sonnets and poems) are available free to read/download/print here:
http://www.opensourceshakespeare.org/
http://www.opensourceshakespeare.org/
September 7, 2007
Potent homoeroticism and a few good ending couplets salvage this otherwise mediocre work of stale verse.
Read
November 29, 2022As one might expect, this is a compilation of Shakespeare's sonnets as well as a few other poems, predominantly involving love. While it may be hard to put a pin on the sonnets, which can vary in tone and idea, the larger works can be summed thusly: A Lover's Complaint tells of a woman scorned, The Phoenix and Turtle is a shorter work about the mourning of a perfect couple (all the characters are birds), and Venus and Adonis, a rendition of the myth where Venus, the goddess of love, tries to woo Adonis, a hunter, who dies at the tusk of a boar.
I wanted to try my hand at reading poetry, since it has been about five years since I have gone through a book of poetry. I choose Shakespeare because I enjoy his plays, but it turns out that following concrete characters and stage directions is much easier for me than poetry still. I tend to read quickly; the sonnets threw me off my usual pace. The good news is that the last two lines are often enough to get at the heart of them. The longer poems were easier since they stayed on a single through line. Still, there were plenty of sonnets I enjoyed (big sucker for the ones on mutual love and mortality, the Phoenix and Turtle is my favorite).
I would recommend this read for those who love poetry or Shakespeare's works. Many people come to the Bard for different reasons, the drama, the humor, to get a sense of superiority, to find out what the fuss is about, etc etc, but I think the ones who will get the most out of this will need to understand that 154 sonnets are a lot. Next time I pick up a poetry book, I'll keep at it even slower.
I wanted to try my hand at reading poetry, since it has been about five years since I have gone through a book of poetry. I choose Shakespeare because I enjoy his plays, but it turns out that following concrete characters and stage directions is much easier for me than poetry still. I tend to read quickly; the sonnets threw me off my usual pace. The good news is that the last two lines are often enough to get at the heart of them. The longer poems were easier since they stayed on a single through line. Still, there were plenty of sonnets I enjoyed (big sucker for the ones on mutual love and mortality, the Phoenix and Turtle is my favorite).
I would recommend this read for those who love poetry or Shakespeare's works. Many people come to the Bard for different reasons, the drama, the humor, to get a sense of superiority, to find out what the fuss is about, etc etc, but I think the ones who will get the most out of this will need to understand that 154 sonnets are a lot. Next time I pick up a poetry book, I'll keep at it even slower.
January 10, 2024
2024 Reading Challenges
• Classic #1 of 12
• Popsugar #48. A collection of at least 24 poems
How I selected this book
If I want to eventually read all of Shakespeare, I have to read the poems. I didn't read this particular edition, but all of the poems at the end of this:
Summary
Venus and Adonis - Venus loves Adonis, but he doesn't love her back. He just wants to hunt. He's gored to death by a boar. Very poetic sounding. I listened to a nice Librivox recording with different voices for Venus and Adonis. 3 stars.
Lucrece - Lucrece is "ravished" by the King's son. She tells her husband and his friends, kills herself, then they dethrone the kings of Rome forever. Too long. 2 stars
The Passionate Pilgrim - this is a collection of 21 poems published by a William Jaggard that were attributed to a "W. Shakespeare". Some were definitely written by Shakespeare, some maybe, and many definitely not. The Shakespeare ones are better. There's a clear difference in style. But none of them really stood out to me, I guess that's why this collection isn't very well known. 2 stars
Sonnets - Out of 154 sonnets, I liked these ones: 18, 24, 41, 65, 71-74, 104, 116. Guess I'm just not a fan of poetry. 2 stars
The Lover's Complaint - A woman is seduced and spurned. 2 stars
The Phoenix and the Turtle - The funeral of two birds, the Phoenix and the Turtledove, which represent perfection and devoted love, the perfect marriage. My text says that it's doubtful Shakespeare wrote this, but nothing I saw online questioned its authenticity. 2 stars
Thoughts
Two stars for most - just ok for me. If the Bard can't sway me to like poetry, I don't know who can.
• Classic #1 of 12
• Popsugar #48. A collection of at least 24 poems
How I selected this book
If I want to eventually read all of Shakespeare, I have to read the poems. I didn't read this particular edition, but all of the poems at the end of this:
Summary
Venus and Adonis - Venus loves Adonis, but he doesn't love her back. He just wants to hunt. He's gored to death by a boar. Very poetic sounding. I listened to a nice Librivox recording with different voices for Venus and Adonis. 3 stars.
Lucrece - Lucrece is "ravished" by the King's son. She tells her husband and his friends, kills herself, then they dethrone the kings of Rome forever. Too long. 2 stars
The Passionate Pilgrim - this is a collection of 21 poems published by a William Jaggard that were attributed to a "W. Shakespeare". Some were definitely written by Shakespeare, some maybe, and many definitely not. The Shakespeare ones are better. There's a clear difference in style. But none of them really stood out to me, I guess that's why this collection isn't very well known. 2 stars
Sonnets - Out of 154 sonnets, I liked these ones: 18, 24, 41, 65, 71-74, 104, 116. Guess I'm just not a fan of poetry. 2 stars
The Lover's Complaint - A woman is seduced and spurned. 2 stars
The Phoenix and the Turtle - The funeral of two birds, the Phoenix and the Turtledove, which represent perfection and devoted love, the perfect marriage. My text says that it's doubtful Shakespeare wrote this, but nothing I saw online questioned its authenticity. 2 stars
Thoughts
Two stars for most - just ok for me. If the Bard can't sway me to like poetry, I don't know who can.
May 1, 2021
For my April book review I read, Love Poems and Sonnets of William Shakespeare illustrated in color by Vera Bock. I don’t usually read poetry because it is boring and doesn’t appeal to me.
After reading this book, there were some sonnets that stood out to me. My favorite sonnet was sonnet CXVI (116).Shakespeare explains that if someone proves him wrong about his idea of what love is, then he never wrote anything worthwhile and no one ever loved anyone. I like this sonnet because it gives a deeper meaning of what it means to stick by people through the good and bad times.
The second sonnet that I liked was the sonnet LXXXI (81). The part that stood out to me the most was, “You still shall live, such virtue hath my pen. Where breath most breathes, even in the mouths of men.”I’m not sure what this means, but it sounds cool. I would recommend this book to people that enjoy dissecting apart words to find a deeper meaning.
After reading this book, there were some sonnets that stood out to me. My favorite sonnet was sonnet CXVI (116).Shakespeare explains that if someone proves him wrong about his idea of what love is, then he never wrote anything worthwhile and no one ever loved anyone. I like this sonnet because it gives a deeper meaning of what it means to stick by people through the good and bad times.
The second sonnet that I liked was the sonnet LXXXI (81). The part that stood out to me the most was, “You still shall live, such virtue hath my pen. Where breath most breathes, even in the mouths of men.”I’m not sure what this means, but it sounds cool. I would recommend this book to people that enjoy dissecting apart words to find a deeper meaning.
April 14, 2023
Love Poems and Sonnets by William Shakespeare is a timeless masterpiece that beautifully captures the essence of love and passion. Shakespeare's eloquent use of language and imagery in these poems and sonnets is unparalleled. Reading this collection is a romantic journey that leaves a lasting impression on the heart and soul. I highly recommend this book to anyone who appreciates the beauty of love and language.
March 6, 2021
Yes, classic Shakespeare. Not every one of these holds up to a proper examination or maintains the same merits, but when they do they really do. Some of these are absolute standards! I've read through (most of them) twice over, and would gladly re-read the ones that are worth paying attention to all over again.
October 30, 2020
An absolutely stunning collection of Shakespeare's sonnets which I have not read alone but with the aid of Patrick Stewart's readings on his Facebook page. Not only the treat of Shakespeare's words, but also the delight of hearing them read by a great thespian. Beautiful
March 26, 2021
Read this in 2020 and I want to read this again in 2021. Never deny yourself poetry or Shakespeare.
Like ∙ flag
following reviews
READING PROGRESS
July 4, 2020 – Started Reading
July 4, 2020 – Finished Reading
January 13, 2021 – Shelved
Like ∙ flag
following reviews
READING PROGRESS
July 4, 2020 – Started Reading
July 4, 2020 – Finished Reading
January 13, 2021 – Shelved
July 14, 2024
I only read the sonnets because I've never been forced to read Shakespeare. There were some I really liked. I have boiled it down to Shakespeare was a bit too "love obsessed" for my liking. Maybe I'll read a play at some point...
August 20, 2018
This collection is responsible for at least one of my ex girlfriends.
January 20, 2019
i actually finished reading them a while ago but forgot to update this woops
July 15, 2019
Maybe I cannot understand all, but I appreciate the feeling and energy in his sonnets bringing to me
February 3, 2020
romanTEEEK
Read
January 12, 2021(This goes for the whole book but especially) sonnets 57 and 58... the right amount of neuroticism without the full blown angst of Barthes.
January 13, 2021
Read this in 2020 and I want to read this again in 2021. Never deny yourself poetry or Shakespeare.
June 7, 2021
Magnificant.
Read
August 24, 2021I dunno man, seems pretty gay to me.
December 16, 2021
This is a very good poetry book, and I loved writing little notes on my interpretations.
August 18, 2022
shakespeare isn't swag unless you're a white guy in 1985
September 10, 2022
(my edition just had the sonnets but this is the closest thing i could find)
November 8, 2022
A marvelous reading !!!
April 4, 2023
sonnet 130 is the greatest poem ever written
Displaying 1 - 30 of 95 reviews