Sonnets

William Shakespeare's Sonnets, first published as a collection in 1609, bring repeated forms to changing experiences of admiration, absence, jealousy, remorse, and fidelity. The poems often set the passage of time against the hope that affection or writing might preserve what is valued. Most use fourteen lines to develop an image or argument before the closing couplet alters its force. Different addressees and speaking positions make the sequence more complex than a transparent personal diary. Its enduring interest lies in the precision with which language can examine a feeling while also revealing the pressures and contradictions within it.