William Shakespeare (1564 to 1616)

William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon, allegedly on April 23, 1564. He was an English poet and playwright widely regarded as the greatest writer of the English language, and the world's preeminent dramatist. He wrote about 38 plays and 154 sonnets, as well as a variety of other poems. Already a popular writer in his own lifetime, Shakespeare's reputation became increasingly celebrated after his death and his work adulated by numerous prominent cultural figures through the centuries. In addition, Shakespeare is the most quoted writer in the literature and history of the English-speaking world. He is often considered to be England's national poet and is sometimes referred to as the "Bard of Avon" (or simply "The Bard") or the "Swan of Avon".

Shakespeare is believed to have produced most of his work between 1586 and 1612, although the exact dates and chronology of the plays attributed to him are often uncertain. He is counted among the very few playwrights who have excelled in both tragedy and comedy, and his plays combine popular appeal with complex characterization, poetic grandeur and philosophical depth.

Shakespeare's works have been translated into every major living language, and his plays are continually performed all around the world. In addition, his many quotations and neologisms have passed into everyday usage in English and other languages. Over the years, many people have speculated about Shakespeare's life, raising questions about his sexuality, religious affiliation, and the authorship of his works.

At some point in the early 1590s, Shakespeare began writing a compilation of sonnets. The first edition of these appeared in print in 1609. However, Frances Meres mentions Shakespeare sharing at least some of them among friends as early as 1598, and two (138 and 144) appear as early versions in the 1599 folio The Passionate Pilgrim. Shakespeare's seeming ambivalence toward having the sonnets published stands in remarkable contrast to the poetic mastery they demonstrate.

Why sonnets? The sonnet was arguably the most popular bound verse form in England when Shakespeare was writing. Imported from Italy (as the Petrarchan or Italian sonnet), the form took on a distinctive English style of three distinctively rhymed quatrains capped by a rhymed couplet comprising 14 total lines of verse.

Shakespeare Sonnets

Shakespeare appears to have written a sequence of them, dedicated to a "Master W.H.," and the sequence as a whole appears to follow a loose narrative structure. Of the 154 sonnets, there are three broad divisions:

• Sonnets 1-126, which deal with a young, unnamed lord, the "fair youth" of the sonnets
• Sonnets 127-152, which deal with the poet's relationship to a mysterious mistress, the "dark lady" of the sonnets
• Sonnets 153-154, which seem to be poetic exercises dedicated to Cupid

The sonnets are poignant expressions on love, beauty, mortality, and the effects of time. They also defy many expected conventions of the traditional sonnet by addressing praises of beauty and worth to the fair youth, or by using the third quatrain as part of the resolution of the poem.

The first edition of 1609 could very well have been an unauthorized printing. Shakespeare's did not write the dedication, and the sonnet by that time had waned in popularity. Whether or not Thomas Thorpe's 1609 edition was published with Shakespeare's blessing, the sonnets as they are printed comprise the foundation for all later versions. Points of debate have ensued ever since as to:

• The order of the arrangement
• Whether or not the sonnets are autobiographical
• Whether or not Shakespeare actually intended them to be published
• The identities of W.H., the fair youth, and the dark lady, among others
• The exact nature of the poet's relationship with those he addresses in the sonnets