Introduction

A collection of the Bard’s beautiful, and often surprising, poetry.

In addition to his numerous dramatic and comedic masterpieces for the stage, William Shakespeare is also famed for his sonnets. These poems, usually consisting of fourteen lines in iambic pentameter, address not only traditional themes of romantic love but also darker subjects including lust, hatred, and infidelity, and featuring a risqué series referring to the poet’s mysterious “Dark Lady.” While the sonnet existed long before Shakespeare’s time, he, as usual, put his own mark of genius on the form.