All the Sonnets of Shakespeare

A beautiful edition of Shakespeare's sonnets in chronological order, including passages from his plays, freshly introduced and paraphrased.

William Shakespeare (Author), Paul Edmondson (Edited by), Stanley Wells (Edited by)

9781108490399, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 10 September 2020

306 pages
22.2 x 14.6 x 1.8 cm, 0.54 kg

'… this is a volume into which one can dip suggestively, creatively and repeatedly to find things new. It is, frankly, the most exciting reconception of the Sonnets since John Benson's Poems in 1640, and the same motive of making them 'serene, clear and elegantly plain' serves to intensify their drama, their diversity and their brilliance.' Jane Kingsley-Smith, Shakespeare Survey

How can we look afresh at Shakespeare as a writer of sonnets? What new light might they shed on his career, personality, and sexuality? Shakespeare wrote sonnets for at least thirty years, not only for himself, for professional reasons, and for those he loved, but also in his plays, as prologues, as epilogues, and as part of their poetic texture. This ground-breaking book assembles all of Shakespeare's sonnets in their probable order of composition. An inspiring introduction debunks long-established biographical myths about Shakespeare's sonnets and proposes new insights about how and why he wrote them. Explanatory notes and modern English paraphrases of every poem and dramatic extract illuminate the meaning of these sometimes challenging but always deeply rewarding witnesses to Shakespeare's inner life and professional expertise. Beautifully printed and elegantly presented, this volume will be treasured by students, scholars, and every Shakespeare enthusiast.

Introduction Paul Edmondson and Stanley Wells
About this Volume
Sonnets
Textual Notes, All the Sonnets of Shakespeare: Literal Paraphrases, Numerical Index of Shakespeare's Sonnets (1609), Index of First Lines.

Subject Areas: Literary reference works [DSR], Shakespeare studies & criticism [DSGS], Literary studies: poetry & poets [DSC], Literary studies: c 1500 to c 1800 [DSBD], Shakespeare plays [DDS], Poetry by individual poets [DCF]