The Sonnets of Shakespeare (The Sonnets) is a collection of 154 poems in strophic form of the English sonnet addressed a wide range of topics such as love, beauty, politics and mortality.
were written, probably over several years to be finally published, except the first two, in a collection of 1609, the number 138 ("When my love swears she is made of That truth") and 144 ( "Two loves Have I, of comfort and despair") had been previously published in a 1599 miscellany entitled The Passionate Pilgrim .
The Sonnets were published under conditions that still remain uncertain. For example, there is a mysterious dedication at the beginning of the text wherein a certain "Mr. WH" is described by the publisher Thomas Thorpe as "the only begetter" (the only inspiring) of poems is not known who that person was. The inscription also refers to the poet with the equally mysterious phrase "ever-living" literally immortal, but normally applied to a dead person. Also, although the poems were written by William Shakespeare, is not known if the publisher used a manuscript authorized by him or an unauthorized copy. Strangely, the author's name is hyphenated on the cover and in the header of each page of the issue. These anomalies have fueled the debate about the authorship of works attributed to Shakespeare.
The first 17 sonnets are addressed to a young man, urging him to marry and have children, so that its beauty can be transmitted to the next generation. This group of poems known by the name of procreation sonnets (sonnets of procreation).
The sonnets ranging from 18 to 126 are also aimed at a youth but now expressing his love for his lyrical voice.
Those falling between 127 and 152 are written to the lover of the lyric voice, expressing their love he feels for her. Topics such as infidelity, the resolution to control lust, etc.
The last two sonnets, the 153 and 154, are allegorical.
were written, probably over several years to be finally published, except the first two, in a collection of 1609, the number 138 ("When my love swears she is made of That truth") and 144 ( "Two loves Have I, of comfort and despair") had been previously published in a 1599 miscellany entitled The Passionate Pilgrim .
The Sonnets were published under conditions that still remain uncertain. For example, there is a mysterious dedication at the beginning of the text wherein a certain "Mr. WH" is described by the publisher Thomas Thorpe as "the only begetter" (the only inspiring) of poems is not known who that person was. The inscription also refers to the poet with the equally mysterious phrase "ever-living" literally immortal, but normally applied to a dead person. Also, although the poems were written by William Shakespeare, is not known if the publisher used a manuscript authorized by him or an unauthorized copy. Strangely, the author's name is hyphenated on the cover and in the header of each page of the issue. These anomalies have fueled the debate about the authorship of works attributed to Shakespeare.
The first 17 sonnets are addressed to a young man, urging him to marry and have children, so that its beauty can be transmitted to the next generation. This group of poems known by the name of procreation sonnets (sonnets of procreation).
The sonnets ranging from 18 to 126 are also aimed at a youth but now expressing his love for his lyrical voice.
Those falling between 127 and 152 are written to the lover of the lyric voice, expressing their love he feels for her. Topics such as infidelity, the resolution to control lust, etc.
The last two sonnets, the 153 and 154, are allegorical.
The only edition of Shakespeare's sonnets published in author's life, the Quarto of 1609, is dedicated to one "Mr. WH". The reality, identity and age of this person is a mystery and has caused a great number of speculations.
'TT' corresponds to Thomas Thorpe, the editor, it is uncertain whether Thorpe or Shakespeare write the dedication. Capital letters and spaces following each word are traits that are likely to indicate an intention to mimic the shape of the inscriptions of ancient Rome, giving it a sense of eternity and importance to the sonnets. In these, Shakespeare says that perdudarán at various times more than other terrestrial objects such as stone monuments and inscriptions. Sonnet 55 indicates:
Not marble, the gilded monuments normal [or marble, nor gilded monuments]
Of princes Shall outlive this rhyme pow'rful [of princes are to survive these powerful rhymes]
126 of the sonnets are addressed to a young (often called "Fair Youth"). There are basically two theories about the identity of Mr. WH: one that identifies with the young man and asserting that it is a different person.
The following is a non-exhaustive list of candidates:
William Herbert (the Earl of Pembroke). Herbert is seen by many as the leading candidate, since he is committed also First Folio of Shakespeare's plays.
Henry Wriothesley (the Earl of Southampton). Many have argued that 'WH' stands for Southampton in reverse, and is a suitable candidate while he Shakespeare dedicated his poems Venus & Adonis and The Rape of Lucretia. Southampton was also known for their good looks, and sometimes it has been suggested could be the 'fair youth' of the sonnets.
Sir William Harvey, Southampton's stepfather. This theory assumes that the fair youth and Mr. WH are separate persons, and Southampton is that young. Harvey would be the "begetter" (inspiration) of the sonnets in the sense that it would be he who provided them to the editor.
The same Shakespeare, William Himself (WH). This theory was proposed by the German scholar D. Barnstorff, but has not found much support. A simple error
print the initials of Shakespeare, 'WAS' or 'W. Sh '. This idea was suggested by Bertrand Russell in his memoirs, and also by Don Foster in Master WH, RIP and Jonathan Bate in The Genius of Shakespeare .
William Hall. Hall was a printer for printing of other works published by Thorpe (according to this theory, the dedication is simply a tribute to his colleague and Thorpe has nothing to do with Shakespeare). This theory, suggested by the first time by Sir Sidney Lee's A Life of William Shakespeare (1898), was followed by Colonel BR Ward in The Mystery of Mr. WH (1923). Supporters suggest that the full name "William Hall" appears if the word "all", immediately following the initials in the dedication, is added to them. There is also documentary evidence of one William Hall of Hackney who signed as "WH" three years earlier, although there seems to be the same as the printer.
Willie Hughes. The eighteenth-century specialist Thomas Tyrwhitt first proposed the theory that Mr. WH (and the Youth Fair) was "William Hughes", based on alleged puns in the sonnets. The argument was repeated in 1790 edition of the sonnets by Edmund Malone. The most famous exposition of this theory lies in the story of Oscar Wilde entitled "The Portrait of Mr. WH" in which the narrator of the story describes the puns on "will" and "bone" in the sonnets, and states that were written for a young and charming actor named Willie Hughes who acted in female roles in Shakespeare's plays. No evidence of the existence of such a person.
William Haughton, a contemporary playwright.
In his Oxford edition of the sonnets, Colin Burrow argues that the dedication is deliberately mysterious and ambiguous, and that probably means "Who I", a phrase also used in a pamphlet contemporary. Suggests it may have been created by Thorpe simply to encourage speculation and discussion (and, consequently, sales of the text.)
are three characters that are addressed most of the sonnets: a handsome man, a rival poet and the lady with black hair, conventionally, each of these recipients are known by nicknames, respectively, the Fair Youth, the Rival Poet and the Dark Lady. The lyric voice expresses admiration for the beauty of the young, and later has an affair with the Dark Lady. It is unknown whether the poems and their characters are fiction or autobiographical. If they were autobiographical, the identities of the characters estarían abiertas al debate. Diversos especialistas, especialmente A. L. Rowse, han intentado identificar los personajes con individuos históricos.
Fair Youth
El 'Fair Youth' es un joven sin nombre a quien se dirigen los sonetos que van del 1 al 126. El poeta escribe del joven con un lenguaje romántico y cariñoso, un hecho que ha llevado a varios comentaristas a sugerir una relación homosexual entre ellos, aunque otros lo intepretan como un amor platónico.
Los primero poemas de la colección no sugieren una relación personal estrecha; por el contrario, en ellos se recomiendan los beneficios del matrimonio y del tener hijos. Con el famoso soneto 18 ("Shall I compare thee to a summer's day": You should compare thee to a summer day), the tone changes dramatically towards a romantic intimacy. Sonnet 20 explicitly laments that the young man is a woman. Most of these sonnets describe the ups and downs of the relationship, culminating in a relationship between the poet and the Dark Lady. The relationship seems to end when the Fair Youth succumbs to the charms of the lady.
have been numerous attempts to identify the friend. Shakespeare's patron for a while, Henry Wriothesley, third Earl of Southampton, is the candidate who most times have been suggested for identification, although the last patron of Shakespeare, William Herbert, third Earl of Pembroke, was recently identified as another possibility. Both theories are related to the dedication of the sonnets to 'Mr. WH ', "the only begetter of These ensuing sonnets" (the only inspired the following sonnets): the initials could be applied to any of the two counts. However, although the language of Shakespeare seems sometimes indicate that the friend is someone of a higher social status than him, could not be. The apparent references to the inferiority of the poet may simply be part of the rhetoric of romantic submission. An alternative theory, presented in the story of Oscar Wilde "The Portrait of Mr. W. H. "points to a series of puns that might suggest that the sonnets are written for a young actor called William Hughes (Mr. WH), however, Wilde's story acknowledges that there is no evidence of the existence of such a person . Samuel Butler, meanwhile, believed that the friend was a sailor, and recently Joseph Pequigney ('Such Is My Love ") has thought of an unknown commoner.
The Dark Lady Sonnets 127 to 152 is generally directed to a woman known as the 'Dark Lady' because of his hair is said to be black and his skin is dark. These sonnets are explicitly sexual in nature, unlike the letters to "Fair Youth" . Reading is sensed that the ego of the sonnets and the lady remained a passionate affair, but she was unfaithful, perhaps with the "Fair Youth". Humbly, the poet is described as bald and middle-aged at the time of the relationship.
has tried numerous times to identify the "Dark Lady" with historical figures such as Mary Fitton or the poet Emilia Lanier, who is a favorite Rowse. Some readers have suggested that the reference to his dark skin could suggest a English or African origin (eg on the novel by Anthony Burgess about Shakespeare, Nothing Like the Sun ). Other people, however, insist on keeping the Dark Lady is not just a fictional character and never existed in real life also suggest that the dark lady should not be taken literally without rather as representing the dark forces of physical lust as opposed to the ideal Platonic love associated with the " Youth Fair. "
The Rival Poet
rival poet is sometimes identified with Christopher Marlowe or George Chapman. However, no conclusive evidence that the character has a correspondence with a real person.
Fair Youth
El 'Fair Youth' es un joven sin nombre a quien se dirigen los sonetos que van del 1 al 126. El poeta escribe del joven con un lenguaje romántico y cariñoso, un hecho que ha llevado a varios comentaristas a sugerir una relación homosexual entre ellos, aunque otros lo intepretan como un amor platónico.
Los primero poemas de la colección no sugieren una relación personal estrecha; por el contrario, en ellos se recomiendan los beneficios del matrimonio y del tener hijos. Con el famoso soneto 18 ("Shall I compare thee to a summer's day": You should compare thee to a summer day), the tone changes dramatically towards a romantic intimacy. Sonnet 20 explicitly laments that the young man is a woman. Most of these sonnets describe the ups and downs of the relationship, culminating in a relationship between the poet and the Dark Lady. The relationship seems to end when the Fair Youth succumbs to the charms of the lady.
have been numerous attempts to identify the friend. Shakespeare's patron for a while, Henry Wriothesley, third Earl of Southampton, is the candidate who most times have been suggested for identification, although the last patron of Shakespeare, William Herbert, third Earl of Pembroke, was recently identified as another possibility. Both theories are related to the dedication of the sonnets to 'Mr. WH ', "the only begetter of These ensuing sonnets" (the only inspired the following sonnets): the initials could be applied to any of the two counts. However, although the language of Shakespeare seems sometimes indicate that the friend is someone of a higher social status than him, could not be. The apparent references to the inferiority of the poet may simply be part of the rhetoric of romantic submission. An alternative theory, presented in the story of Oscar Wilde "The Portrait of Mr. W. H. "points to a series of puns that might suggest that the sonnets are written for a young actor called William Hughes (Mr. WH), however, Wilde's story acknowledges that there is no evidence of the existence of such a person . Samuel Butler, meanwhile, believed that the friend was a sailor, and recently Joseph Pequigney ('Such Is My Love ") has thought of an unknown commoner.
The Dark Lady Sonnets 127 to 152 is generally directed to a woman known as the 'Dark Lady' because of his hair is said to be black and his skin is dark. These sonnets are explicitly sexual in nature, unlike the letters to "Fair Youth" . Reading is sensed that the ego of the sonnets and the lady remained a passionate affair, but she was unfaithful, perhaps with the "Fair Youth". Humbly, the poet is described as bald and middle-aged at the time of the relationship.
has tried numerous times to identify the "Dark Lady" with historical figures such as Mary Fitton or the poet Emilia Lanier, who is a favorite Rowse. Some readers have suggested that the reference to his dark skin could suggest a English or African origin (eg on the novel by Anthony Burgess about Shakespeare, Nothing Like the Sun ). Other people, however, insist on keeping the Dark Lady is not just a fictional character and never existed in real life also suggest that the dark lady should not be taken literally without rather as representing the dark forces of physical lust as opposed to the ideal Platonic love associated with the " Youth Fair. "
The Rival Poet
rival poet is sometimes identified with Christopher Marlowe or George Chapman. However, no conclusive evidence that the character has a correspondence with a real person.
MATERIALS Section have a link to an excellent study on Sonnets of Shakespeare.
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