The first 126 orbit a beautiful young man — urging him to marry, then loving him, envying a rival poet, forgiving and failing to forgive; most of the rest belong to the “dark lady”, desired and distrusted in equal measure.
Read them a few at a time rather than straight through. Amid the famous anthology pieces (18, 29, 73, 116, 130) are stranger, harsher poems about lust, betrayal, and time that no anthology prepares you for. Whether they are autobiography remains gloriously unprovable.
Sonnets on screen
A curated guide to Sonnets on film and television is in the works.
Reading Sonnets this year?
Mark it in your record when you finish — one seat, kept for decades.