The secret of their identities has fueled debate for hundreds of years: Who are the nameless nobleman and the dark-haired mistress? And what did they do to inspire the creation of more than 150 deeply intimate poems? Whether William Shakespeare's sonnets are pure fiction or the lingering echo of an autobiographical account, this exquisitely written collection defied traditional love poem conventions to explore the many layers of romance, the dangers of lust, and the nuances of beauty. Since their publication, Shakespeare's poems have served as touchstones, providing readers from all walks of life with the opportunity to articulate the inscrutable feelings of the heart. AmazonClassics brings you timeless works from the masters of storytelling. Ideal for anyone who wants to read a great work for the first time or rediscover an old favorite, these new editions open the door to literature's most unforgettable characters and beloved worlds. Revised edition: Previously published as Shakespeare's Sonnets, this edition of Shakespeare's Sonnets (AmazonClassics Edition) includes editorial revisions.

Author Biography

William Shakespeare (1564-1616) was born in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, to a middle-class glover and a landowner's daughter. He married Anne Hathaway in 1582 and moved to London to work with a theatrical troupe ten years later. Since little has been learned of his early life, nearly all of what historians know today about Shakespeare begins-on the London stage-in 1592. In the wake of his critical and public success, Shakespeare helped build the Globe Theater on the River Thames. Regarded as the world's preeminent dramatist, his extant works include thirty-eight plays, one hundred and fifty-four sonnets, and two narrative poems, all of which have been widely translated. To this day, his plays have been performed more often than those of any other playwright. They have been adapted for film and television, updated, deconstructed, and transfigured into ballets, operas, rock musicals, and Bollywood melodramas. Though his formal education extended no further than grammar school, William Shakespeare became the most transcendent and influential writer in world literature.