William Shakespeare's Works/Sonnets

The Youth and the Lady
The author's sonnets are written for two subjects: a young man, and the narrator's beloved. In the first of these cases, the narrator advises his young follower on how to attract women, while simultaneously declaring his own affection for the young lad. Modern scholars have claimed that their relationship borders on pederasty. However, none of his sonnets have directly declared this intent.

Sonnet structure
Before the arrival of Shakespeare, most poets followed the form of what is known as the Petrarchan sonnet:

A

B

B

A

A

B

B

A

C

D

E

C

D

E

The last six lines could either come in the above form (C-D-E-C-D-E) or in the form of (C-D-C-C-D-C). This was the standard form for nearly three hundred years. However, Shakespeare revolutionized the sonnet with the creation of his own form, which would soon bear his name:

A

B

A

B

C

D

C

D

E

F

E

F

G

G

Guide to the sonnets

 * /Sonnets 1-10/
 * /Sonnets 11-20/
 * /Sonnets 21-30/
 * /Sonnets 31-40/
 * /Sonnets 41-50/
 * /Sonnets 51-60/
 * /Sonnets 61-70/
 * /Sonnets 71-80/
 * /Sonnets 81-90/
 * /Sonnets 91-100/
 * /Sonnets 101-110/
 * /Sonnets 111-120/
 * /Sonnets 121-130/
 * /Sonnets 131-140/
 * /Sonnets 141-150/
 * /Sonnets 151-154/