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| William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616) |
William Shakespeare is a Renaissance poet, playwright, and actor, widely regarded as the greatest writer in English history. Published in 1609, his Sonnets were the last of his non-dramatic works to be printed. Few analysts believe that the published collection follows Shakespeare's intended sequence. He seems to have planned two contrasting series: one about uncontrollable lust for a married woman of dark complexion (the 'dark lady'), and one about conflicted love for a fair young man (the 'fair youth'). It remains unclear if these figures represent real individuals, or if the authorial 'I' who addresses them represents Shakespeare himself.
Sonnet 18
"Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?" is arguably one of the most iconic lines in poetic history. Sonnet 18 describes the virtues of the subject, and the writer's ability to immortalise those virtues in his verse. Superficially, Sonnet 18 would appear to be an archaic love poem. The form is notable for being a perfect model for a Shakespearean sonnet. It is fourteen lines in staunchly regular iambic pentameter; there are not even any lines that flow into the next, every line is end-stopped. There are two quatrains, then the ninth line offers a change in tone. But beyond form this is not a typical sonnet. Traditional sonnets had been exclusively about love whereas Sonnet 18, though initially appearing to be a love poem, concludes as a commendation for the power and influence of poetry.
