Shakespeare's Sonnets (AmazonClassics Edition)

This is a nice edition, worthy of gift-giving. There is only one Sonnet per page, so you can choose one and bookmark it for a friend. The paper is quality and the binding and overall look is very good.

The Arden series are the perfect editions to accompanie someone through Shakespeare works, it gives you a wide image of historical context, cultural context and also the different theories about Shakespeare criticism, plus it also has a simple way to read each page with notes in the side.

Not bad, but not great either. Most of these sonnets dealt with fading beauty. Only a few stood out as particularly good. If you enjoy poetry because of how verse can evoke your feelings, then this collection isn't for you. Some nice lines here and there, but nothing astounding. Still, a good educational experience. I plan to read his plays now, since the only two I've ever read are Macbeth and King Lear.

My daughter collects these Penguin hard cloth covered editions. She dropped by unexpectedly and saw the two books I ordered and got immediately excited and said, "Wow Mom I don't have these." Is this for me?.....Had to tell her YES. For the book lover, well made and bound beautifully. Deb G.

Very nice presentation of the Bard's Sonnets. I was hoping it would be a more personal celebratory edition for use as a gift for a 97 year old lady who is still writing her own poetry as well as reading the word's of the Masters of Literature.

This review is not about the text itself, but the presentation done by Penguin and Bickford-Smith. As with each of her designs in this series it is beautiful. A timeless presentation of a literary classic.

Alas, Penguin has not chosen to make a useful version of this book for the Kindle. Navigation is very poorly set up. There is an active table of contents, but it does not list the individual sonnets, nor does it break the annotations section out by sonnet. Much worse is that there is no linkage between a sonnet and the annotations for that sonnet. It would have been very easy to set up such links (forwards and backwards); the result would have been a really useful book. Surely they realize that the typical user will want to consult the annotations for a sonnet when reading that sonnet. What a pity they've not done a better job!

Edited to Add: In the end, I returned this Kindle book. It was full of very bad scan errors. In some cases, I couldn't even figure out what the nonsense word was meant to be. In addition, the annotations section was formatted in such a way that one couldn't use the cursor to select a word to look up in the dictionary or a group of words to highlight.

What a pity Penguin takes so little care with its ebooks!

Just received it today (7-12-2010). Sweet little book, would tell others about it, the nice little size allows me to carry it in my purse. This is my first book of Shakespeare, I'm more mature now, and can appreciate these types of fine literature.

The sonnets in this edition are not presented in verse! They appear as paragraphs of prose. It's a complete mess. Do not waste your money. After seeing this mess I bought the Modern Library edition which includes all of the poems and all of the history plays for just a couple of dollars more... and they are all in proper form!

Another beautifully bound Penguin Classic. A hard-bound collection of Shakespeare's sonnets is mandatory for any library of classic literature. Please do yourself a favor and don't purchase this book for your stupid kindle. Purchase it for your shelf or coffee table. Purchase it for your family and friends to read and reread throughout the years.

Highly recommend this and any other Penguin Classic hardcover in this beautifully crafted series.

This is a light weight book to carry around and read while waiting but Helen Vendler's book offers on the same page each sonnet in modern English and how it was originally printed in 1609 (or there abouts) as well as more insight into its meaning.

I am a big fan of Shakespeare, his poetry as well as his plays. The poetry here is excellent. I deduct one star from this review, because on the kindle version, the default type size setting puts about 8 sentences per page, and each sentence runs to 2 lines. Thus, you don't see the entire poem on a single page, with each sentence in a single line as you would in a nice paper book. Maybe that is nit-picky to some folks.

That being said, I greatly appreciate Kindle, and the wide variety of classic literature available for little cost. Thank you to all who are making these things available for e-readers.

Katherine Duncan-Jones in the Arden Shakespeare's Sonnets is closer to Stephen Booth's linguistic approach from Helen Vendler,s artistic analysis of the Sonnets. I think she made a mature choice because Old Will in his love lyrics is ambigous and misleading.His words are loaded with meanings and accordingly are open to more than one interpretation.Publishing the detailed notes and commentry on the same page looks more practical and helpful, not only for the students but also for the general reader.Nevertheless, Hank Wittemore's version of Edward de Vere, Earl of Oxford, recently published for the first time , emphasizes that the dedicatee of Shakespeare,s Sonnets is Henry Wriothesley, Third Earl of Southampton and not William Herbert, Earl of Pembroke as the Arden,s editor of the Sonnets suggests in her introduction. Since 400 years the dedicatee,s identity had been masked. A.L. Rowse in 1964 published his version of the Sonnets and held that Shakespeare dedicated his poems to his close friend and patron Earl of Southampton. Now Wriothesley proved what Rowse had cocluded in his literary and historical researching half a century ago.
In the next edition of the Arden,s Sonnets I hope Katherine Duncan-Jones sheds more illuminating light on this issue which puzzled many Shakespearians for a very long time.

Abdulsattar Jawad
Duke University

I was disillusioned.

But it gets historical points for setting precedent for the perfect poem, and of course it is, if I remember, 153 sonnets. So that says something.

Some of these verses are Shakespeare's romance with whores (especially at the early section of the book), and later they deal in subtle ways with disease and despair.

In a subjective world this would be the perfect book. That's what I'm inclined to think. But alas, life's properties are oh-so-objective.

Nonetheless, I devoted a one-pager in my 1-Page-Classics to the subject of Shakespeare's sonnets, titled "Shakespeare's Peinn". I was tempted upon reading the sonnets to think that some of the thoughts might be better summarized as haiku. But that is modern taste.

Some people need to go to the original. He is a kind of god of poetry. But more remembered for theatre, sorry to say.

I do recommend this book, but it was very disappointing. That's why it's three stars. Some points for vocabulary, but not as much as I expected. Not too many neologisms, at this distance through time. (I heard once he invented the word "assassin").

never arrived, what a rip off... I have never got a confirmation email. I totally forgot I bought this book if it wasn't because I came to do my reviews I would have never notice... absolutely shameful seller and disgusting people who do this stuff, take people's money and don't send you what you buy. shame on you. hope karma gets you back.

ok to be honest downloaded this for a kindle that I don't own thereby can't really say if I like it or not, personally I find Shakespeare hard to read so I don't bother. I watch the plays, sometimes even act in them, but mostly watch them.

The book took FOREVER to arrive and, when it finally did, it was damaged. I ordered a "new" copy of the sonnets, but when I opened the package the book cover was bent and had indentations from what looks like a pen tip, there were sharpie marks on the title page that had been "covered" with a white sticker, and some of the pages were torn. There is also some kind of weird brown stain along the edges of the pages. Not happy...

URGENT URGENT
you have supplied me with Disc 1 & Disc 2 HOWEVER THEY ARE BOTH THE SAME for the Shakespeare's Sonnets.
not happy Jan and certainly not impressed.
as to the content- OK I have heard better renditions

It would have been useful to actually hear a segment prior to purchase, as I did when I bought 'Songs of the Civil War' it ensured i had the version i had been looking for.

sincerely
marie ryan

We purchased this audiobook with our children in mind, hoping it might serve as an introduction to Shakespearean language while freeing us up to pursue our own interests during car trips. Disappointingly, Mr. Callow's affected speech proves very difficult to follow, even after repeated hearings. He speaks far too quickly and musically, which distracts from the sonnets themselves.

Additionally, the sonnets are not each clearly delineated from the other. Strained ears find the occasional familiar line, but such effort is ultimately better spent reading the sonnets aloud ourselves. Spend your money elsewhere, if you wish to keep the babies entertained.

Last year on UK BBC Radio 2, Jeremy Vine introduced Sonnets of Shakespeare set to contemporary music. I thought, wow, what a brilliant way to get our young people learning them and maybe it will bring alive what is often regarded as dried up and impossible to understand stuff. I thought of the children first, believing it's too late for olds like me. I always gave up on Shakespeare's work before doing any part of it justice. But, sitting there later I couldn't get it off my mind and as music is food for my soul I thought well alright perhaps I could also learn why so many regard Shakespeare so highly. Hence, I searched the store UK and found the album 'Shakespeare: The Sonnets'.

After downloading the MP3 version I dug out my copy of 'The Complete Works of William Shakespeare' to see the words as I listened to the music. I bought it in 1970 and the forty plus years since then had not been kind to it (browned considerably) nor my eyesight - the font is tiny! So when I saw this Kindle book I was delighted. On my Kindle for PC I can have the font supersize if I want and I also have all 154 Sonnets at my fingertips to take me beyond the eleven on the album.

Regarding its very basic format, viz one Sonnet after another with no links to jump to specific individual Sonnets, I made my own 'contents' by adding a note to every Sonnet. It took a while but it was so worth doing. First I listed their numbers in standard Arabic. This was a positive exercise for me as I was reminded of the Roman numeral system which traditionally the book uses. Then I added the first line of each Sonnet.

I'm actually quite glad that this book is so basic. By getting involved in its structure and providing the contents myself I am more inclined to read the Sonnets rather than have them 'gathering dust' as my old hardback has. It is absolutely perfect for me.

William Shakespeare is best known as a playwright. When you think of Shakespeare, you automatically think of plays -- "Romeo and Juliet," "Macbeth," "Hamlet," etc.

But he was also a poet of considerable skill. And while he sprinkled his various plays with poetry and songs, his poems are best appreciated when they're read all by themselves -- particularly the cluster of brilliant "Sonnets" that he penned. These works just have a unique, hauntingly vivid flavour of their own.

Each sonnet has no title, and is simply identified by numbers. And while Shakespeare's love poems are the best known of these works, he addresses different themes in theme -- old age, writer's block loneliness, the cruelty of the world, sex, beauty, a mysterious rival poet, and Shakespeare's own complicated romantic feelings (love that "looks upon tempests and is not shaken").

And these poems are absolutely lovely. Some of these sonnets are pretty well-known ("Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?/Thou art more lovely and more temperate") but most of them are a little more obscure. They have vivid metaphors and imagery ("let not winter's ragged hand deface," "gold candles fix'd in heaven's air") and hauntingly lovely passages ("What is your substance, whereof are you made,/That millions of strange shadows on you tend?").

And these sonnets really give you new insights into Shakespeare as a person -- he feels uncertainty, passionate love, unhappiness, lust and quirky humor. But while it's obvious these sonnets were deeply personal, they can still be appreciated on their own, particularly as love poetry.

William Shakespeare's "Sonnets" are rich with meaning, language and atmosphere -- the Elizabethan English takes a little deciphering, but it's well worth it.

The Sonnets--What are they?

We're not sure.

Oh we know that Shakespeare's 154 sonnets are, with two exceptions, fourteen line poems following a rhyming scheme of ABAB CDCD EFEF GG, that most of them are about love, that Shakespeare's collection form something of a whole in two main parts. But we also have many questions about them that will never be solved.

Who is the youth to whom most of the sonnets are addressed? Is a fictional character or is he a friend of Shakespeare's? Who is the Dark Lady at the center of the sonnets in the second part of the collection? Is she fictional? Is she Shakespeare's lover? Is she a courtesan? Is she a lover of a friend? Do the male references to love speak of friendship or of homosexual attraction? Does it matter?

These questions are unanswerable yet they are continually debated.

One of the things I love about Shakepeare's sonnets is that they require no knowledge of the ancient classics. There are no direct references to Greek or Roman mythology, no direct references to other works of literature. To Shakespeare's contemporaries they were, in theory, immediately comprehensible on a first reading.

Two things do make the sonnets difficult to understand. First, English isn't spoken quite the same way today as it was then. The good news though is that once you are used to Shakespeare's idiom, this difficulty vanishes. The second problem is more interesting: the ideas he expresses are convoluted and subtle. A first reading, especially if read out loud to yourself, convinces you they are not nonsense, but it's easy to lose track of what the poet means.

For instance in sonnet 129 (for me the single greatest poem in the English language, bar none) what could "made in pursuit and in possession so" possibly mean? The difficulty in understanding this particular line has convinced some professional scholars to correct, without evidence from any source I should add, that it ought to read "mad in pursuit, and in possession so" which is easier to understand, but adds nothing to the sonnet. Consequently, many editions of the sonnet since the late 18th century have changed the line. To my mind, this reduces the poem; it is less economical, it repeats or reinforces an idea instead of expressing a new one as does the original.

The sonnets challenge you to understand them, but they challenge you on your own terms. With them, Shakespeare expects only that you understand English; he doesn't expect you to know history or legends from the past. Read them, and try to understand them both individually and as a collection. Play with the ideas and change your mind. Get together with friends, choose a single sonnet, and read it out loud taking turns and reading them differently, and have fun!

Vincent Poirier, Tokyo

Richard III is another of the famous Shakespeare History plays. To be completely honest about it, I enjoy watching the actors perform this role more than the play itself. Richard III the character, as presented by Shakespeare, is a complicated character and the role attracts a lot of great actors. As in many of Shakespeare's later plays, his writing is very sophisticated. As such, I have a great deal of trouble following everything. What I have come to do is prepare to watch the performances by making use of various study guides before I watch the performance. "No Fear Shakespeare" is one of my favorites. I also keep this handy during the performance. Thank You...

I love this book. All I wanted was Shakespeare's complete sonnets, with no frills. That's what this is, with beautiful illustrations. The critical reviews point out the lack of any supporting literary annotations or textual help. But that's why I love it. Also, the font is not too small, the paper is not too thin, and the size of the book is satisfying. Simply lovely. I keep it close and read a sonnet at a time. Beautiful small coffee table book for those who love words. And the Bard.

Excellent side by side translation of the Bard's Elizabethan English verse, which is often difficult to decipher, even when fully annotated. It takes the work out of reading Shakespeare. To some extent, I think a bit of work in decoding verse is good for the brain, and the translations, of course, do not capture the rhythm or rhyming patterns. However, the translation, in fairly colloquial English, can be somewhat entertaining in its own right.

It would be nice if it also included an analysis of the scenes and some discussion of literary themes, which can be found on the online version. However, I would still give this five stars. It would take me a month to get through each play without it.

William Shakespeare is best known as a playwright. When you think of Shakespeare, you automatically think of plays -- "Romeo and Juliet," "Macbeth," "Hamlet," etc.

But he was also a poet of considerable skill. And while he sprinkled his various plays with poetry and songs, his poems are best appreciated when they're read all by themselves -- particularly the cluster of brilliant "Sonnets" that he penned. These works just have a unique, hauntingly vivid flavour of their own.

Each sonnet has no title, and is simply identified by numbers. And while Shakespeare's love poems are the best known of these works, he addresses different themes in theme -- old age, writer's block loneliness, the cruelty of the world, sex, beauty, a mysterious rival poet, and Shakespeare's own complicated romantic feelings (love that "looks upon tempests and is not shaken").

And these poems are absolutely lovely. Some of these sonnets are pretty well-known ("Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?/Thou art more lovely and more temperate") but most of them are a little more obscure. They have vivid metaphors and imagery ("let not winter's ragged hand deface," "gold candles fix'd in heaven's air") and hauntingly lovely passages ("What is your substance, whereof are you made,/That millions of strange shadows on you tend?").

And these sonnets really give you new insights into Shakespeare as a person -- he feels uncertainty, passionate love, unhappiness, lust and quirky humor. But while it's obvious these sonnets were deeply personal, they can still be appreciated on their own, particularly as love poetry.

William Shakespeare's "Sonnets" are rich with meaning, language and atmosphere -- the Elizabethan English takes a little deciphering, but it's well worth it.

Arden's third series illuminates the continually-shifting priorities of the moment as well as the Shakespearean texts themselves. Katherine Duncan-Jones devotes less space to such arcane matters as the practices of the Jacobean printing house and relatively more to what we now consider to be all-important: the sonnets, their meaning and literary significance. She considers that although some sonnets were obviously written before Meres's first mention of them in 1598 ('sugred Sonnets among his private friends') most were the products of the mature, Jacobean Shakespeare - hence their often knotty complexity and their relatively bitter, 'salty' tone. It is an unconventional view, like many others in this radically different edition.

By any account, this is an erudite, thoroughly researched and thoroughly readable edition with sonnet-by-sonnet annotations that don't assume undue expertise. Unlike previous Arden editions, therefore, this third series issue is ideal for readers wanting an in-depth and accessible analysis of poems that have long had the reputation of being difficult ('laboured perplexities', in the words of the C18 Shakespeare scholar, George Steevens).

Like the sonnets themselves, Duncan-Jones is often highly ingenious. Certain sonnets she considers numerologically significant. She detects a 'strongly misogynistic bias' throughout the sequence. Even those sonnets addressed to a female (ie 127-54) arouse her suspicions that the speaker has a male audience in mind as he exhibits a strong distaste for the female form generally and for 'the negative connotations of menstruation' in particular. These suspicions are strengthened on realising that the total number of these 'Dark Lady' sonnets is 28 - one for each day of the lunar cycle. (Duncan-Jones is the first to draw our attention to this detail.) Other numerical correspondences are more literary. The great central sequence (18-126) comprises 108 sonnets, thereby matching Sidney's collection. Sonnet 12, meanwhile, alludes to the number of hours in a day; 60 to hour/'our minutes'; 70 (threescore and ten) is followed by the sonnet which begins 'No longer mourn for me when I am dead'; 144 is concerned with the 'gross'-ness of his evil angel, and so on. Whether or not such decoding has unearthed Shakespeare's original intentions, there is no doubt that the sonnets were written for a highly sophisticated literary culture that, unlike ours, 'knew the rules' governing cryptic conceits.

But if the sonnets themselves aren't sufficiently full of puzzles, here's another: in her Preface, Duncan-Jones claims to have 'avoided' John Kerrigan's 1986 Penguin edition, although 'excellent in its subtlety and scholarship', for fear of over-reliance. Yet apart from both agreeing that 'A Lover's Complaint' is an integral part of the overall scheme (sonnets-complaint, following Samuel Daniel's model, Delia) their rival editions seem poles apart. He (JK) guards against using the sonnets to speculate about Shakespeare the man and is dismissive of such fantasies and 'crackpot theories'. She (KD-J) considers the sequence's title, 'Shakespeare's Sonnets', of paramount importance, and one, moreover, that invites, and even positively insists upon, autobiographical inference. She in turn is dismissive of editors and critics who avoid confronting the poems' homoeroticism by speaking, for example, of the cult of 'comradely affection in literature' (Kerrigan). Her verdict on such thoughts: 'Sidney Lee lives!' (Lee being a critic who, immediately after Oscar Wilde's imprisonment, sought to conceal the Sonnets' potentially explosive homoeroticism. For respectable Victorians, the Sonnets were overspiced.) So much for excellence, subtle scholarship and potential over-reliance.

Combative, therefore, as well as eloquent, this edition doesn't so much fence-sit as hurdle them full-on. Whether you agree with Duncan-Jones's stance or not, there's no denying that her case is vigorously pursued and her evidence presented with skill. Admirably, her edition preserves the arrangement of the 1609 Quarto together with much of its spelling and punctuation on the grounds that excessive modernising of spelling results in blurring potential double meanings. And punctuation? Her edition is the first modern one to restore the empty parentheses at the end of the six-couplet 'Sonnet' 126. The two pairs of brackets, she believes, represent the graves awaiting the bodies of poet and 'lovely Boy'.

Definitely not the last words on the Sonnets. But some of the more fascinating, nonetheless.

William Shakespeare is best known as a playwright. When you think of Shakespeare, you automatically think of plays -- "Romeo and Juliet," "Macbeth," "Hamlet," etc.

But he was also a poet of considerable skill. And while he sprinkled his various plays with poetry and songs, his poems are best appreciated when they're read all by themselves -- particularly the cluster of brilliant "Sonnets" that he penned. These works just have a unique, hauntingly vivid flavour of their own.

Each sonnet has no title, and is simply identified by numbers. And while Shakespeare's love poems are the best known of these works, he addresses different themes in theme -- old age, writer's block loneliness, the cruelty of the world, sex, beauty, a mysterious rival poet, and Shakespeare's own complicated romantic feelings (love that "looks upon tempests and is not shaken").

And these poems are absolutely lovely. Some of these sonnets are pretty well-known ("Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?/Thou art more lovely and more temperate") but most of them are a little more obscure. They have vivid metaphors and imagery ("let not winter's ragged hand deface," "gold candles fix'd in heaven's air") and hauntingly lovely passages ("What is your substance, whereof are you made,/That millions of strange shadows on you tend?").

And these sonnets really give you new insights into Shakespeare as a person -- he feels uncertainty, passionate love, unhappiness, lust and quirky humor. But while it's obvious these sonnets were deeply personal, they can still be appreciated on their own, particularly as love poetry.

William Shakespeare's "Sonnets" are rich with meaning, language and atmosphere -- the Elizabethan English takes a little deciphering, but it's well worth it.

William Shakespeare is best known as a playwright. When you think of Shakespeare, you automatically think of plays -- "Romeo and Juliet," "Macbeth," "Hamlet," etc.

But he was also a poet of considerable skill. And while he sprinkled his various plays with poetry and songs, his poems are best appreciated when they're read all by themselves -- particularly the cluster of brilliant "Sonnets" that he penned. These works just have a unique, hauntingly vivid flavour of their own.

Each sonnet has no title, and is simply identified by numbers. And while Shakespeare's love poems are the best known of these works, he addresses different themes in theme -- old age, writer's block loneliness, the cruelty of the world, sex, beauty, a mysterious rival poet, and Shakespeare's own complicated romantic feelings (love that "looks upon tempests and is not shaken").

And these poems are absolutely lovely. Some of these sonnets are pretty well-known ("Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?/Thou art more lovely and more temperate") but most of them are a little more obscure. They have vivid metaphors and imagery ("let not winter's ragged hand deface," "gold candles fix'd in heaven's air") and hauntingly lovely passages ("What is your substance, whereof are you made,/That millions of strange shadows on you tend?").

And these sonnets really give you new insights into Shakespeare as a person -- he feels uncertainty, passionate love, unhappiness, lust and quirky humor. But while it's obvious these sonnets were deeply personal, they can still be appreciated on their own, particularly as love poetry.

William Shakespeare's "Sonnets" are rich with meaning, language and atmosphere -- the Elizabethan English takes a little deciphering, but it's well worth it.

One of my the store friends recently reviewed a compilation of "Shakespeare's Sonnets," edited by Barbara Mowat and Paul Werstine. I regret to say that I have not attended to the Bard's sonnets in many a year. Recently, I read Bryson's sprightly biography of Shakespeare, and this--combined with my friend's review--sparked me to purchase this volume.

In the Editors' Preface, they note (Page ix): "This edition. . . reflects these current ways of thinking about Shakespeare." Their Introduction on "Shakespeare's Sonnets" provides nicely constructed context for the poems themselves. Editors notes that (Page xiii): "Few collections of poems--indeed, few literary works in general--intrigue, challenge, tantalize, and reward as do Shakespeare's Sonnets." The years in which the author produced these sonnets are described as (Page xxxii) ". . .among the most exciting in English history. . . "

But it is the poems themselves that are the heart of this. The Editors do a wonderful job of providing context, but--in the end--each reader must make of these works what they will.

Given my age, I do find this poignant (Sonnet 22):

"My glass shall not persuade me I am old
So long as youth and thou are of one date,
But when in thee Time's furrows I behold,
Then look I death my days should expiate."

One of my favorites (Sonnet 29):

"When in disgrace with fortune and men's eyes
I all alone beweep my outcast state. . . .
Haply I think on thee, and then my state,
Like to the lark at break of day arising. . . ."

And (Sonnet 87):

"Farewell, thou art too dear for my possessing,
And like enough thou know'st thy estimate.
The charter of my worth gives thee releasing;
My bonds in thee are all determinate."

And so many others. . . . Shakespeare is not, of course, to everyone's taste. However, for those who enjoy the Bard's art, this is a wonderful version of his sonnets. Highly recommended!

William Shakespeare is best known as a playwright. When you think of Shakespeare, you automatically think of plays -- "Romeo and Juliet," "Macbeth," "Hamlet," etc.

But he was also a poet of considerable skill. And while he sprinkled his various plays with poetry and songs, his poems are best appreciated when they're read all by themselves -- particularly the cluster of brilliant "Sonnets" that he penned. These works just have a unique, hauntingly vivid flavour of their own.

Each sonnet has no title, and is simply identified by numbers. And while Shakespeare's love poems are the best known of these works, he addresses different themes in theme -- old age, writer's block loneliness, the cruelty of the world, sex, beauty, a mysterious rival poet, and Shakespeare's own complicated romantic feelings (love that "looks upon tempests and is not shaken").

And these poems are absolutely lovely. Some of these sonnets are pretty well-known ("Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?/Thou art more lovely and more temperate") but most of them are a little more obscure. They have vivid metaphors and imagery ("let not winter's ragged hand deface," "gold candles fix'd in heaven's air") and hauntingly lovely passages ("What is your substance, whereof are you made,/That millions of strange shadows on you tend?").

And these sonnets really give you new insights into Shakespeare as a person -- he feels uncertainty, passionate love, unhappiness, lust and quirky humor. But while it's obvious these sonnets were deeply personal, they can still be appreciated on their own, particularly as love poetry.

William Shakespeare's "Sonnets" are rich with meaning, language and atmosphere -- the Elizabethan English takes a little deciphering, but it's well worth it.

William Shakespeare is best known as a playwright. When you think of Shakespeare, you automatically think of plays -- "Romeo and Juliet," "Macbeth," "Hamlet," etc.

But he was also a poet of considerable skill. And while he sprinkled his various plays with poetry and songs, his poems are best appreciated when they're read all by themselves -- particularly the cluster of brilliant "Sonnets" that he penned. These works just have a unique, hauntingly vivid flavour of their own.

Each sonnet has no title, and is simply identified by numbers. And while Shakespeare's love poems are the best known of these works, he addresses different themes in theme -- old age, writer's block loneliness, the cruelty of the world, sex, beauty, a mysterious rival poet, and Shakespeare's own complicated romantic feelings (love that "looks upon tempests and is not shaken").

And these poems are absolutely lovely. Some of these sonnets are pretty well-known ("Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?/Thou art more lovely and more temperate") but most of them are a little more obscure. They have vivid metaphors and imagery ("let not winter's ragged hand deface," "gold candles fix'd in heaven's air") and hauntingly lovely passages ("What is your substance, whereof are you made,/That millions of strange shadows on you tend?").

And these sonnets really give you new insights into Shakespeare as a person -- he feels uncertainty, passionate love, unhappiness, lust and quirky humor. But while it's obvious these sonnets were deeply personal, they can still be appreciated on their own, particularly as love poetry.

William Shakespeare's "Sonnets" are rich with meaning, language and atmosphere -- the Elizabethan English takes a little deciphering, but it's well worth it.

Let me be very clear as to why I give this book a full five stars... it makes Shakespeare's sonnets readily accessible/understandable to the average common reader (which I consider myself to be). This Arden version has become a treasure to me. I have loved W.S.'s sonnets ever since committing #116 (my favorite) to memory a few years ago, but I admit that many of them have left me with one profound thought at the end of the fourteenth line, and that thought is... "huh"? It is truly a sad predicament to be left in such a state of ignorance when Shakespeare is ALWAYS saying something AWESOME! But this book has come closest to a complete cure for me. I am now seldom (if ever) left in the dark by an obscure phrase, line, or context, because the notes on the opposing page are right there to help me through those exact points of difficulty. I unreservedly recommend this affordably priced 3rd Series edited by Katherine Duncan-Jones to any and all sonnet lovers. Let it "give physic" to your ailment.
P.S. It begins with an excellent over 100 page introduction and follows the sonnets with an equally great exposition of "A Lover's Complaint".

This is a nicely bound, low priced volume of Shakespeare's sonnets. But it is more than just that. Each sonnet is on a page by itself with explanatory notes on the facing page. While most of us do not need a spoon-feeding of these wonderful works, we sometimes do come to an abrupt halt at "some in their garments like new-fangled ill", or "sometimes a blusterer that the ruffle knew of court". In the above instances we are talking about fashionable but absurd garments, and a braggart's display. Also, many elisions are changed to modern words (e.g. advised for aduis'd) except where such a change would hinder the flow of the sonnet. There are also over 100 pages of historical and critical comments at the front of the book, which you can read or ignore as you choose.
All in all this is an excellent package of the sonnets with a very useful set of notes. It's great that all of the notes are adjacent to the sonnets, so that you do not have to page back and forth, and that there are no nasty little note reference numbers marring the lines of the sonnets.

Shakespeare's Sonnets come from the Bard's deepest thoughts, his passions, suffering and the expression of the ultimate Joy of Beauty, Poetry and Love. Here are the words of a suffering soul, in love with "someone" much younger than himself, thus his references to age being no barrier to true Love in many of the verses.

All or most scholars agree, the Sonnets were written about and to a single person. The argument, of course, is who this person was...Oscar Wilde speculated the object of the Master's heart was a young male actor, due to the law, had to play all the female parts as acting in the 16th century was purly a man's job.

Shakespeare himself has become a mystery as to his true identity for many years. Interestingly, Sigmund Freud's "free time", was devoted to revealing the Bard's true identity.

For me, when reading the Sonnets, Who wrote them or Who they were written For makes no difference. Because the Sonnets are the most beautiful Ode to Poetry, the Muse and Real Love and its Tragedy, that all too often, is true Love's end result.

This particular edition claims to be the best study of the Sonnets and the Bard himself. This is perhaps true, but the verses have not changed in 500 years.

Over the last three nights, reading or more acurately 're-reading' these wonderful verses, my admiration for the English language, its beauty and cadence, its ability for subtle irony and truth is astounding.

One of my favourites: LXXV.

"So are you to my thoughts, as food for life,
Or as sweet-season'd showers are to the ground:
And for the peace of you I hold such strife
As 'twixt a miser and his wealth is found:
Now proud as an enjoyer, and anon
Doubting the flinching age will steal his treasure;
Now counting best to be with you alone,
Then better'd that the world see my pleasure:
Sometime all full with feasting on your sight,
And by-and-by clean starved for a look;
Possessing or pursuing no delight,
Save what is had or must from you be took.
Thus do I pine and surfeit day by day;
Or gluttoning on all, or all the away."

"Feasting on your sight", just to see (her) brings on so much joy.

No delight... but saving her image in his mind like a glutton, a wanting, a Love deep and experienced from afar...

Merely to remind yourself of the beauty of the English language read the Bard's Sonnets and Poems.

A gift.

The Dover Thrift Edition of the Complete Sonnets is exactly that: the complete sonnets, and nothing more. Though often scorned by literary snobs, the entire Dover series does fulfill one very useful function: it provides cheap, easy-to-read, and widely-available versions of literary classics. What you get, in this case, are all of Shakespeare's sonnets (undisputably some of the greatest poems ever written and a true treasure of English literature; obviously, a review of any edition of these poems will inevitably focus not upon the work itself, which is beyond repute, but, rather, on the individual edition as presented) -- and nothing else. Much more expansive (and expensive) versions are available, featuring an introduction to the sonnets with background information, notes and annotations, a handy list of definitions for archaic and obscure Elizabethian words -- and, more than likely, at least one pretentious individual interpretation of the work. Obviously, if one is looking to study Shakespeare, really go in-depth into the sonnets for scholarly or academic purposes, then one should look into one of the editions just described. If you just want a copy of the sonnets without desiring to spend too much money, you don't need or don't want all of those extras, or you simply want to impress incredulous people by owning a set of Shakespeare's sonnets, however, then you could do worse than picking up this inexpensive little book.

Shakespeare's sonnets are even more genius than time has given them credit. If I had to choose between Hamlet and The Sonnets.. it would be a very difficult choice. Shakespeare re-invented the sonnet, gave it a more mainstream structure. Each one tells a brief story, a super mini-play, an inner monologue, an ode to love, betrayal or wisdom. I enjoy 21st century poetry from time to time, but this is the stuff you can sink your teeth into. I like the structure and its limits. Shakespeare takes complicated life experiences and explains them in 140 syllables and a catchy rhyme scheme. Modern poets enjoy making life sound even more complicated than it really is.

Every reader far and wide should read Shakespeare's Sonnets. Your IQ will rise before your eyes. You should also check out The Death Sonnets (Halloween Library Edition) which is a modern collection of spooky poetry written in the Shakespearean Sonnet structure.

William Shakespeare is best known as a playwright. When you think of Shakespeare, you automatically think of plays -- "Romeo and Juliet," "Macbeth," "Hamlet," etc.

But he was also a poet of considerable skill. And while he sprinkled his various plays with poetry and songs, his poems are best appreciated when they're read all by themselves -- particularly the cluster of brilliant "Sonnets" that he penned. These works just have a unique, hauntingly vivid flavour of their own.

Each sonnet has no title, and is simply identified by numbers. And while Shakespeare's love poems are the best known of these works, he addresses different themes in theme -- old age, writer's block loneliness, the cruelty of the world, sex, beauty, a mysterious rival poet, and Shakespeare's own complicated romantic feelings (love that "looks upon tempests and is not shaken").

And these poems are absolutely lovely. Some of these sonnets are pretty well-known ("Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?/Thou art more lovely and more temperate") but most of them are a little more obscure. They have vivid metaphors and imagery ("let not winter's ragged hand deface," "gold candles fix'd in heaven's air") and hauntingly lovely passages ("What is your substance, whereof are you made,/That millions of strange shadows on you tend?").

And these sonnets really give you new insights into Shakespeare as a person -- he feels uncertainty, passionate love, unhappiness, lust and quirky humor. But while it's obvious these sonnets were deeply personal, they can still be appreciated on their own, particularly as love poetry.

William Shakespeare's "Sonnets" are rich with meaning, language and atmosphere -- the Elizabethan English takes a little deciphering, but it's well worth it.

I read these sonnets two a day over the summer, and I wish there were more than 154 of them so I could keep going into the fall. I think I'll pick up "The Tempest" next.
The poetry in this volume is beautiful, equisite and full of passion. What makes Shakespeare worth reading is the way he lets the world into his lines. His metaphors appeal deliciously to the senses, like a beam of sunlight through a high window in the afternoon, or the smell of a new cut lawn in the spring. Shakespeare's writing is immortal, not because a conspiracy of teachers got together and decided it should be, but because it is full of life, and nothing that is full of life can really ever die.
If you're not used to reading Elizabthean English or are put off by the thought of Shakespeare, this is a good place to start. This edition helpfully "translates" each sonnet into modern English on a facing page along with definitions for the more troubling words. Even with the help, I still don't think Shakespeare is all that easy to read. But anything you do in this world that makes you feel more passionate about life is a pretty good thing. If you give Shakespeare some of your time, he's bound to pay you back with plenty of interest.

Breathed there ever a man more villianous than Richard III? Iago, maybe, but they are in a class by themselves. Evil, evil men...

Richard III, as a play, has stood the test of time. It is one of Shakesapeare's best, though his characterization of Richard is subject to question since he is/was writing in the time of a Tudor monarchy, the family that assumed the throne because of Richard's "evil deeds." Shakespeare, as Sir Thomas Moore before him, may have been playing to the Tudor monarchy rather than dealing with the truth. (Remember Jack Webb's standard line in the TV series, "Dragnet?" "The facts, mamn, the facts, nothing but the facts..."

We may or may not have the facts here as they pertain to Richard III, but we have a damn good play presented in the best possible manner: the original numbered text on the left hand page, modern up-to-date language on the right hand page, making it easy for readers of all ages, from the junior high school student reading Shakespeare for the first time to an old-timer, a retired guy reading Shakespeare for the umpteenth time, to understand and appreciate the Bard and his story. And, true or not, what a story it is!!!

An A+ to Shakespeare and to Spark Notes' No Fear Shakespeare concept.

I wanted to compare the various editions of Shakespeare's Sonnets but the the store website heaps all of them together, making it impossible to determine which one meets my needs. I want to find a hardcover illustrated edition preferably annotated and illustrated. I don't want a cheap newsprint paperback. I want a book worth keeping. Otherwise, I can read them online for free.

To speak in Shakespeare's language, one must understand the playwright and poet developing and honing his precise skills all the while writing strict, disciplined 14-line sonnets. How does one infuse a sonnet with a lip (the 14th line) with love, passion, intimacy, tenderness, and dramatic flair. Does one invent romantic drama out of thin air? I think not. You experience the kiss or touch, and you write about it. Yes, you observe couples kissing or holding each other, and create emotive poetry.

Where does one start when writing highly romantic sonnets? A sonneteer starts with his or a sonneteress with her Prologue, the title to their sonnet: the dove flutters her wings with delicate motion. Yes, unsubtle passion may find her way into Act Two. The sonneteer now becomes the playwright, and accepts the challenge; although the lady in waiting may be writing her Mirrored Sonnet in the feminine to his masculine words. This is all done in a genteel manner.

To wit, their crescendo must rise immediately from Line 1 to 4 (Act I), then rise with power from Lines 5 to 10 (Act II), then rise within the ascending mode to a denouement from Lines 11 to 15 (Act III). One writes to the sacred crescendo, decrescendo, diminuendo, denouement and climactic points (two mini-climaxes ending Lines 4 and 10; a major climax or lip ending Line 14) or one does not write a exquisite romantic sonnet (I shudder at the thought).

Does anyone enjoy a flat or linear sonnet? Of course not. The emotion, beauty, balance, artistic parallelisms and patterns (1-2, 1-2-3, and 1-2-3 & 4, based on Italian musical theory) must adhere to the refined crescendo line, weaving in and out of commas (1/4-stops), semi-colons (hard 1/2-stops), colons (soft 1/2-stops), ellipses (middle break or ending break; a pause in intricate passionate wording), dashes (rise in pitch & speech), and the period (full stop).

Rhythmical writing has now come into play with rhymed patterns that either elevate the sonnet, equal the passion & grandeur of it, or downplay it through missed rhythms or patterns. The transcendent qualities of pure romance can be missed in Lines 7 to 9; indirectness at play may require directness in words to achieve good power.

The silken weave of any superb romantic sonnet is in the blush, the purr, the hush, the murmur, the genteel aside, the flurry of dove feathers when so much subtle intimacy has played out so well under the covers. O' Passion, spend more time with me in Lines 9 to 12. I will not leave you in the rain. This poetic voice, like a lover's echo, resonates in the best of Shakespeare's romantic sonnets.

Shakespeare speaks directly to the intended lover; he voices his depth of feeling and emotion in words that poetically work in the sonnet 3-act structure - that quell the storm by the end of Act III (Line 14). All is accomplished by that denouement line; all urgency, hastened speech, the romantic pitch of waves flows like silk into those final words; as if a 3-act play, reduced down to miniature size, has completed its kiss upon the brow or lips of the intended.

It is pure romance; its refinement levels are off the charts. I bow in humility to the master playwright, poet, and sonneteer, William Shakespeare and his artistic work.

William Shakespeare is best known as a playwright. When you think of Shakespeare, you automatically think of plays -- "Romeo and Juliet," "Macbeth," "Hamlet," etc.

But he was also a poet of considerable skill. And while he sprinkled his various plays with poetry and songs, his poems are best appreciated when they're read all by themselves -- particularly the cluster of brilliant "Sonnets" that he penned. These works just have a unique, hauntingly vivid flavour of their own.

Each sonnet has no title, and is simply identified by numbers. And while Shakespeare's love poems are the best known of these works, he addresses different themes in theme -- old age, writer's block loneliness, the cruelty of the world, sex, beauty, a mysterious rival poet, and Shakespeare's own complicated romantic feelings (love that "looks upon tempests and is not shaken").

And these poems are absolutely lovely. Some of these sonnets are pretty well-known ("Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?/Thou art more lovely and more temperate") but most of them are a little more obscure. They have vivid metaphors and imagery ("let not winter's ragged hand deface," "gold candles fix'd in heaven's air") and hauntingly lovely passages ("What is your substance, whereof are you made,/That millions of strange shadows on you tend?").

And these sonnets really give you new insights into Shakespeare as a person -- he feels uncertainty, passionate love, unhappiness, lust and quirky humor. But while it's obvious these sonnets were deeply personal, they can still be appreciated on their own, particularly as love poetry.

William Shakespeare's "Sonnets" are rich with meaning, language and atmosphere -- the Elizabethan English takes a little deciphering, but it's well worth it.

The kindle version of this book has two flaws that make it completely unusable:

1: The table of contents is linked, but it only has a single entry for "Sonnets" so there is no way to go to a particular sonnet without simply scrubbing back and forth trying to hunt it down. Since there is lots of front- and back-matter, this is essentially impossible to do.

2: Although there are many footnotes, none of them are linked, so they are unaccessible in any reasonable way.

I can't imagine one single person has ever bought this book and not regretted it. Thank you the store for the prompt refund, and shame on Penguin for caring so little. You're far better off with "The New Cambridge" version, which is properly linked and also very well annotated.

Two passions dwell in poet's heart
Two desperate obsessions are reflected through his art
Those are two characters from Shakespeare's poetry triangle:
The dark skinned lady and the man of fair skin
His charm is gentle and she's a striking beauty queen
Three lives, three loves in chains of jealousy are fatally entangled
Did two conspire secretly behind the poet's back
Betraying him two times, which caused his soul to wreck ?

Shakespeare is a master. While some of his play's can be hard to digest despite their literary brilliance, the sonnets are easy bite size pieces that the average reader can chew on. "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?" How can you top that!?! The sonnets are hands down my favorite works from Shakespeare, and I highly recommend them to everyone, especially if you haven't been willing to read some of his larger works for fear of their complexity.

To speak in Shakespeare's language, one must understand the playwright and poet developing and honing his precise skills all the while writing strict, disciplined 14-line sonnets. How does one infuse a sonnet with a lip (the 14th line) with love, passion, intimacy, tenderness, and dramatic flair. Does one invent romantic drama out of thin air? I think not. You experience the kiss or touch, and you write about it. Yes, you observe couples kissing or holding each other, and create emotive poetry.

Where does one start when writing highly romantic sonnets? A sonneteer starts with his or a sonneteress with her Prologue, the title to their sonnet: the dove flutters her wings with delicate motion. Yes, unsubtle passion may find her way into Act Two. The sonneteer now becomes the playwright, and accepts the challenge; although the lady in waiting may be writing her Mirrored Sonnet in the feminine to his masculine words. This is all done in a genteel manner.

To wit, their crescendo must rise immediately from Line 1 to 4 (Act I), then rise with power from Lines 5 to 10 (Act II), then rise within the ascending mode to a denouement from Lines 11 to 15 (Act III). One writes to the sacred crescendo, decrescendo, diminuendo, denouement and climactic points (two mini-climaxes ending Lines 4 and 10; a major climax or lip ending Line 14) or one does not write a exquisite romantic sonnet (I shudder at the thought).

Does anyone enjoy a flat or linear sonnet? Of course not. The emotion, beauty, balance, artistic parallelisms and patterns (1-2, 1-2-3, and 1-2-3 & 4, based on Italian musical theory) must adhere to the refined crescendo line, weaving in and out of commas (1/4 stops), semi-colons (hard 1/2 stops), colons (soft 1/2 stops), ellipses (middle break or ending break; a pause in intricate passionate wording), dashes (rise in pitch & speech), and the period (full stop).

Rhythmical writing has now come into play with rhymed patterns that either elevate the sonnet, equal the passion & grandeur of it, or downplay it through missed rhythms or patterns. The transcendent qualities of pure romance can be missed in Lines 7 to 9; indirectness at play may require directness in words to achieve good power.

The silken weave of any superb romantic sonnet is in the blush, the purr, the hush, the murmur, the genteel aside, the flurry of dove feathers when so much subtle intimacy has played out so well under the covers. O' Passion, spend more time with me in Lines 9 to 12. I will not leave you in the rain. This poetic voice, like a lover's echo, resonates in the best of Shakespeare's romantic sonnets. Shakespeare speaks directly to the intended lover; he voices his depth of feeling and emotion in words that poetically work in the sonnet 3-act structure - that quell the storm by the end of Act III (Line 14).

All is accomplished by that denouement line; all urgency, hastened speech, the romantic pitch of waves flows like silk into those final words; as if a 3-act play, reduced down to miniature size, has completed its kiss upon the brow or lips of the intended.

It is pure romance; its refinement levels are off the charts. I bow in humility to the master playwright, poet, and sonneteer, William Shakespeare and his artistic work.

The sonnets of Mr Shakespeare are wonderful literary exercises. They are probably a bit mannered, and they may well have been written with his left hand...idly recording his love life and his autobiography while his mind raced on to greater things.
But there should be no Doubt at all, that -- even though the paper may be [inexpensive], and the type face be uneven -- and there be no NOTES there at all...
still, one can read:
That time of year thou mayst in me behold
Where yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang,
Upon those boughs where late the sweet birds sang
Bare ruined choirs...
Oh, ..., I have misquoted the sonnet. You Will have to
go read it yourself! :-)
In me thou seest the twilight of such day
As after sunset sinketh in the west....
O yes, send out for footnotes!

Shakespeare is a mainstay of English literature. His genius is necessitate to the innovation of creating language, metamorphosis and bright images. His plays will always be timeless, because they address the questions of human nature. But in the works of Shakespeare, occupy a special place is his incredible unique sonnets. The sonnet is full of love, anxiety and hope. These sonnets like a explicit scenes and will enchant us with his sincerity. Each time reading the sonnets of Shakespeare, we seem to witness a secret confession. This is the cry of the soul and the groan of the heart. Shakespeare was a unique man and their masterpieces he created with help multifaceted souls.

Ms. Duncan-Jones' Introduction is an extraordinary example of scholarship. To say that the Sonnets have been controversial throughout the time since their publication is a mild understatement. Ms. Duncan-Jones casts a brilliant and unwavering spotlight on these controversies and resolves them.

Any serious student of Shakespeare must read this Introduction.

If there is a failing in the book, it is in the actual footnotes to the Sonnets themselves. But in the context of Booth's footnotes, for example, this failing is insignificant. Anyone who wants a line-by-line exegesis of the Sonnets has many resources available.

Go get this book and read the Introduction!

William Shakespeare is best known as a playwright. When you think of Shakespeare, you automatically think of plays -- "Romeo and Juliet," "Macbeth," "Hamlet," etc.

But he was also a poet of considerable skill. And while he sprinkled his various plays with poetry and songs, his poems are best appreciated when they're read all by themselves -- particularly the cluster of brilliant "Sonnets" that he penned. These works just have a unique, hauntingly vivid flavour of their own.

Each sonnet has no title, and is simply identified by numbers. And while Shakespeare's love poems are the best known of these works, he addresses different themes in theme -- old age, writer's block loneliness, the cruelty of the world, sex, beauty, a mysterious rival poet, and Shakespeare's own complicated romantic feelings (love that "looks upon tempests and is not shaken").

And these poems are absolutely lovely. Some of these sonnets are pretty well-known ("Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?/Thou art more lovely and more temperate") but most of them are a little more obscure. They have vivid metaphors and imagery ("let not winter's ragged hand deface," "gold candles fix'd in heaven's air") and hauntingly lovely passages ("What is your substance, whereof are you made,/That millions of strange shadows on you tend?").

And these sonnets really give you new insights into Shakespeare as a person -- he feels uncertainty, passionate love, unhappiness, lust and quirky humor. But while it's obvious these sonnets were deeply personal, they can still be appreciated on their own, particularly as love poetry.

William Shakespeare's "Sonnets" are rich with meaning, language and atmosphere -- the Elizabethan English takes a little deciphering, but it's well worth it.

A colleague advised that I assign my college students this edition, and I am glad she did. Rather than reading the few anthologized works together with some handouts, students now own the entire set. For anyone not familiar with Shakespeare's 154 sonnets, this gives an affordable and portable version. For anyone familiar with the works, this book offers them in a beautifully light, compressed format that itself enhances rereading and re-interpretation. The book begins with a helpful one-page background on the sonnet form and on Shakespeare's collection, and ends with an also-helpful alphabetical list of first lines. The two-page glossary of terms at the end may be too little, too late, but the drawbacks of Dover's edition--its lack of notes and its use of roman numerals to number the poems--pale compared with the book's availability. As an enthusiast myself--someone who studied at the Shakespeare Institute, England, writing a 310-page thesis on the Bard--I feel grateful to be able to help others to such an inexpensive and pleasant way to own and explore Shakespeare's entire collection of sonnets. Because I could skim the poems in sequence so quickly and easily with this edition, the interrelationships among Sonnets 113, 114, 115, and the famous 116, "Let me not to the marriage of true minds," for example, struck me in a new way as I reread them in this little book. A highly- recommended edition.

I bought this to use for an upper-division English class. It fits in the palm of my hand, so I can take it anywhere. Now that I'm not in college anymore, I keep it at my bedside if ever I want to read any of the sonnets. Nice travel size, good quality soft cover book.

The perfect pocket edition of Mr. Shakespeare's sonnets!
Of course, if you are wondering what they mean, and all that, you will have to get yourself familiar with Rowse's edition of the sonnets: A. L. Rowse: Shakespeare's Sonnets.
But once you know who the principal characters are -- Henry Wriothesley, the young Earl of Southampton, Christopher Marlowe, and Emilia Lanier -- plus young Will Shakespeare himself -- then the Dover will do fine for you and yours.
After all, this is exactly the book you could have bought on its first day of publication, four centuries ago!! :-)
ttfn
jimmy

My English major friends kept raving about the sonnets, so I finally decided to spend a buck to get this least expensive edition. It was kind of interesting. I could tell that Shakespeare was really intense about his issues - but I was lost as to why everybody was so crazy about them. I also did not like having paper that was so thin that my highlighting and notes went right through to ruin the other side of the page :(
Finally I spent another buck to get an (almost as inexpensive) edition (used) - the Signet edition edited by Burto. That helped a lot - with definitions of terms and hints about lots of secret relationships possibly there for those who would dig further. At last I'm starting to figure out why this guy is considered so awesome. To really get an appreciation of Shake's heart and mind, beginners like me really need more than just the poems.
Now I'm borrowing an English major's copy of Dr. Vendler's edition (Art of Shakespeare's Sonnets). It's pretty heady, so I'm just trying to read her introduction. Whew! I haven't tested out all her theories, but is so much incredible care and complexity going on behind the scenes in these poems - it's no wonder people are still boggled after 400 years.
Truly amazing - but unless you're an English major I wouldn't recommend bothering with this doubtful dollar deed. Getting a copy of the Signet or Folger Library editions will make beginners much happier.

Simon Callow's reading of the sonnets is excellent, as is the quality of the recording. The only defect I have found is that part of the last line of the thirteenth sonnet is missing. Instead of "You had a father; let your son say so," I hear, "You had a father; --n say so." This is true for both the CD and cassette tape versions of this recording.

Shakespeare's sonnets are contained in this very, very cheap edition, making them not only accessible but portable. What else can you ask for?
The Dover Thrift is a great series, you can get most major works in literature for rock-bottom prices, and in this case, I spent a buck on the complete sonnets of Shakespeare, how can you beat that?

I too was disappointed that the Kindle edition was not complete. I wrote to the store about it, and got nice apology and a refund. So for a while we readers may become the default proofreaders. That is not terribly surprising as the store brings 91,000 books online. It would be good if they could let us know when a fix is made to a particular book. I certainly want to get this one for my Kindle.

This guy read the Auden in Four Weddings and Funeral I think. Simon Callow treats his voice as an instrument. He can strum and roar and hiss and bellow. And he has taken some trouble with the notes and tones. This may seem a rather contrived sensibility at first, but he uses his velvet oboe of his voice to a fine effect, calling it to the issue of the meaning prehaps more than a concern for a natural tone. And I quickly got over this modern quibble. The sonnets are contrivances and they are also concerned with terrible truths. Callow has invented a style that fits. And to his credit, it is also startlingly passionate.

This CD collection is an absolute joy. Mr Butler brings the sonnets to life with his clear elocution and his obvious understanding of the verses. the sonnets are not easy reading. I have heard people say"They are incomprehensible" Not this rendition. Every word has a meaning and Mr Butler makes sure we hear and understand each one. His"accent free"accent lends itself to this recording and we progress,like a running stream thru the total collection, with every sonnet sounding as fresh as its predecessor. Mr Butler's eloquence and Mr Shakespeare's writing makes this a winning collection for everyone,students,male, female, romantics and lovers, young and old

I just received my Kindle today. Thusfar, I'm quite pleased with the device but my first digital purchase is a disappointment. The the store description states the following:

Full explanatory notes conveniently placed on the page facing each sonnet

* A brief introduction to each sonnet, providing insight into its possible meaning

* An index of first lines

* An essay by Professor Lynne Magnusson, a leading Shakespeare scholar, providing a modern perspective on the poems

* Illustrations from the Folger Shakespeare Library's vast holdings of rare books.

None of this is true. I suspect that the store's editors have failed to see that the Digireads.com editions of various books differ from the paper editions.

Who can possibly go wrong with Shakespeare?
In my mind, there is nothing better than curling up with a classic right before you go to bed. Shakespeare's sonnets inspire you to think, dream, and love. A must for every writer, the sonnets are an excellent primer on structure, metaphor and word play.
This book is a steal at 99 cents!

I recently used the Arden edition of the Sonnets in a graduate level course on Renaissance literature. It's useful, too, to have Helen Vendler's "Art of the Sonnet," as well as the Penguin edition (fewer notes than the Arden). Quite simply, the Arden excels in the scholarly apparatus. Also, for a concise, readable supplement, include Greenblatt's "Will in the World" (the chapter on the sonnets). But for a close study of the sonnets, if you need a single edition, Arden is terrific.

This is the perfect book for Shakespeare 101 classes. You get the original play and a translation that keeps the spirit of the text.
But don't expect to find a word by word translation (you'd be better off with a dictionary of Elizabethan English), or a detailed analysis of the characters and main themes (Sparknotes has another book for that). It's just the play, easy to read.

I had fallen in love with Shakespeare's Sonnets since I was introduced to it in my freshman year. I'm no expert on Shakespeare, but this is the most wonderful edition of a Shakespeare's Sonnets book. Not only is the cover handsome,(something you'd be proud to carry along with you everywhere)it has excellent annotations(just enough to help you understand the sonnets but not so much that it bogs you down) and plus, in addition to all of that it is very low cost. Buy it, you won't regret it!

To speak in Shakespeare's language, one must understand the playwright and poet developing and honing his precise skills all the while writing strict, disciplined 14-line sonnets. How does one infuse a sonnet with a lip (the 14th line) with love, passion, intimacy, tenderness, and dramatic flair. Does one invent romantic drama out of thin air? I think not. You experience the kiss or touch, and you write about it. Yes, you observe couples kissing or holding each other, and create emotive poetry.

Where does one start when writing highly romantic sonnets? A sonneteer starts with his or a sonneteress with her Prologue, the title to their sonnet: the dove flutters her wings with delicate motion. Yes, unsubtle passion may find her way into Act Two. The sonneteer now becomes the playwright, and accepts the challenge; although the lady in waiting may be writing her Mirrored Sonnet in the feminine to his masculine words. This is all done in a genteel manner.

To wit, their crescendo must rise immediately from Line 1 to 4 (Act I), then rise with power from Lines 5 to 10 (Act II), then rise within the ascending mode to a denouement from Lines 11 to 15 (Act III). One writes to the sacred crescendo, decrescendo, diminuendo, denouement and climactic points (two mini-climaxes ending Lines 4 and 10; a major climax or lip ending Line 14) or one does not write a exquisite romantic sonnet (I shudder at the thought).

Does anyone enjoy a flat or linear sonnet? Of course not. The emotion, beauty, balance, artistic parallelisms and patterns (1-2, 1-2-3, and 1-2-3 & 4, based on Italian musical theory) must adhere to the refined crescendo line, weaving in and out of commas (1/4-stops), semi-colons (hard 1/2-stops), colons (soft 1/2-stops), ellipses (middle break or ending break; a pause in intricate passionate wording), dashes (rise in pitch & speech), and the period (full stop).

Rhythmical writing has now come into play with rhymed patterns that either elevate the sonnet, equal the passion & grandeur of it, or downplay it through missed rhythms or patterns. The transcendent qualities of pure romance can be missed in Lines 7 to 9; indirectness at play may require directness in words to achieve good power.

The silken weave of any superb romantic sonnet is in the blush, the purr, the hush, the murmur, the genteel aside, the flurry of dove feathers when so much subtle intimacy has played out so well under the covers. O' Passion, spend more time with me in Lines 9 to 12. I will not leave you in the rain. This poetic voice, like a lover's echo, resonates in the best of Shakespeare's romantic sonnets.

Shakespeare speaks directly to the intended lover; he voices his depth of feeling and emotion in words that poetically work in the sonnet 3-act structure - that quell the storm by the end of Act III (Line 14). All is accomplished by that denouement line; all urgency, hastened speech, the romantic pitch of waves flows like silk into those final words; as if a 3-act play, reduced down to miniature size, has completed its kiss upon the brow or lips of the intended.

It is pure romance; its refinement levels are off the charts. I bow in humility to the master playwright, poet, and sonneteer, William Shakespeare and his artistic work.

This edition of Shakespear's sonnets is all you need to read and understand the great Bard.
A very nice feature is the paraphrasing of the sonnets in contemporary English and a translation into ordinary language of the more difficult words.
The edition is a paperback small enough to be carried around to read during one's leisure.

The analysis given to Shakespeare's sonnets is immecable. The authors know what they are writing about. I particularly liked the introduction and the end of the book interpretation with the first words of each of the sonnets.

Not one of America's best gifts to England :( - -
A couple bucks more for the Signet or Folger editions will help you so much more to appreciate our Bard. (or... if you're a Brit, the "New Penguin" edition is a great way to go).
Like Steve says, you'll get NO help (or love) from this *thrift* edition.

I am a big fan of his writings. His plays are unsurpassed. I only wish there was a way to speak to him today a few hundred years later and get his views on everything. This is a must read for everyone who enjoys his work. I can lose myself in his sonnets and this book is a utopia to me.

I am a great fan of Shakespeare, so when I bought this book what I was expecting wasn't what I saw. I saw the most intriguing sonnets probaly ever known to man. It wasn't all about love and fear. It was involving a great many things. It had all the human feelings, sadness, happieness, hate, love, curiosity, fear, pain, grief, stress, and you get the ideal. I don't want to give it away so if you seem interested read this wounderful book.

To speak in Shakespeare's language, one must understand the playwright and poet developing and honing his precise skills all the while writing strict, disciplined 14-line sonnets. How does one infuse a sonnet with a lip (the 14th line) with love, passion, intimacy, tenderness, and dramatic flair. Does one invent romantic drama out of thin air? I think not. You experience the kiss or touch, and you write about it. Yes, you observe couples kissing or holding each other, and create emotive poetry.

Where does one start when writing highly romantic sonnets? A sonneteer starts with his or a sonneteress with her Prologue, the title to their sonnet: the dove flutters her wings with delicate motion. Yes, unsubtle passion may find her way into Act Two. The sonneteer now becomes the playwright, and accepts the challenge; although the lady in waiting may be writing her Mirrored Sonnet in the feminine to his masculine words. This is all done in a genteel manner.

To wit, their crescendo must rise immediately from Line 1 to 4 (Act I), then rise with power from Lines 5 to 10 (Act II), then rise within the ascending mode to a denouement from Lines 11 to 15 (Act III). One writes to the sacred crescendo, decrescendo, diminuendo, denouement and climactic points (two mini-climaxes ending Lines 4 and 10; a major climax or lip ending Line 14) or one does not write a exquisite romantic sonnet (I shudder at the thought).

Does anyone enjoy a flat or linear sonnet? Of course not. The emotion, beauty, balance, artistic parallelisms and patterns (1-2, 1-2-3, and 1-2-3 & 4, based on Italian musical theory) must adhere to the refined crescendo line, weaving in and out of commas (1/4-stops), semi-colons (hard 1/2-stops), colons (soft 1/2-stops), ellipses (middle break or ending break; a pause in intricate passionate wording), dashes (rise in pitch & speech), and the period (full stop).

Rhythmical writing has now come into play with rhymed patterns that either elevate the sonnet, equal the passion & grandeur of it, or downplay it through missed rhythms or patterns. The transcendent qualities of pure romance can be missed in Lines 7 to 9; indirectness at play may require directness in words to achieve good power.

The silken weave of any superb romantic sonnet is in the blush, the purr, the hush, the murmur, the genteel aside, the flurry of dove feathers when so much subtle intimacy has played out so well under the covers. O' Passion, spend more time with me in Lines 9 to 12. I will not leave you in the rain. This poetic voice, like a lover's echo, resonates in the best of Shakespeare's romantic sonnets.

Shakespeare speaks directly to the intended lover; he voices his depth of feeling and emotion in words that poetically work in the sonnet 3-act structure - that quell the storm by the end of Act III (Line 14). All is accomplished by that denouement line; all urgency, hastened speech, the romantic pitch of waves flows like silk into those final words; as if a 3-act play, reduced down to miniature size, has completed its kiss upon the brow or lips of the intended.

It is pure romance; its refinement levels are off the charts. I bow in humility to the master playwright, poet, and sonneteer, William Shakespeare and his artistic work.

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