Introduction “Sonnet 29: When, in disgrace with fortune and men’s eyes” is a sonnet composed by William Shakespeare that goes through the mental state of the speaker who thinks he lacks talent and opportunities. But later towards the end of the poem, he realises the wealth he possesses and the poem takes a cheerful turn. … Read more
Introduction Sonnet 130 by William Shakespeare is one of the most known sonnets published in 1609. It contrasts the conventional idea of a sonnet that displays the beauty and magic of love. Shakespeare composed this sonnet as if to mock his lover’s beauty to unveil the realism of love. About the Poet William Shakespeare, one … Read more
Introduction “Sonnet 65” was composed by William Shakespeare, an English Renaissance poet and playwright, and originally published in 1609. The speaker of the poem laments the passing of time and asks how something as fragile as beauty can last when even the most durable things on earth inevitably fall apart and deteriorate. However, the speaker … Read more
Introduction “Sonnet 27” is a part of William Shakespeare’s Fair Youth sonnet sequence, a substantial collection of poetry written for an unnamed—but truly very attractive—young man. The first of five poems in which the speaker observes this young man from a distance, it appears rather early in the overall sequence. In particular, “Sonnet 27” explores … Read more
Introduction Shakespeare’s second sonnet, “When Forty Winters Shall Besiege Thy Brow,” is the first in which the unnamed “Fair Youth” is mentioned. Shakespeare wrote 154 sonnets in all, the second of which is titled “When forty winters shall besiege thy brow.” It is one of several sonnets that address the subject of procreation and is … Read more
Introduction The sonnet sequence “Amoretti” was written by the English poet Edmund Spenser. In 1595, it was printed as a part of the collection “Amoretti and Epithalamion.” Since “amoretti” means “little loves” in Italian, it is clear that the poetry in this collection is about love. The 89 sonnets in Spenser’s “Amoretti” are significant for … Read more
Introduction John Donne’s poem “Go and catch a falling star,” (1633) explores women’s presumably inevitable infidelity. In the poem, the speaker claims that no matter where he looks in the world, his chances of finding a lady who will be faithful to him are roughly the same as those of encountering the devil or a … Read more
Introduction: ‘A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning’ is an elegiac poem written by John Donne. It is a poem on the untimely death of his wife Anne More Donne in 1611. It serves as a farewell to her, a parting note where he makes the readers beware of death and its consequences and asks them not to … Read more
Introduction: ‘To Be or Not to Be’ is an extract taken from the play ‘Hamlet’ written by Shakespeare. This text is thus not a poem but rather, a soliloquy delivered by Hamlet himself in Act III, Scene I of the play. About the Poet (Playwright): William Shakespeare (1564-1616) was an eminent English playwright, named ‘the … Read more