Sonnet 87 (Masterplots II: Poetry, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: William Shakespeare
- First Published: 1609
- Type of Work: Sonnet
- Genres: Poetry, Sonnet
- Subjects: Self-discovery, Love or romance, Law or legislation, England or English people, Women’s issues, Women, Property, Separation, Women’s rights, Shakespeare, William, or Shakespearean plays, Joy or sorrow, Gifts, Contracts
The Poem
In his cycle of 154 sonnets, Shakespeare directs the first 127 to a handsome young man usually identified as his patron, Henry Wriothesley, the earl of Southampton (1573-1624). Sonnet 87 concludes a series of ten known as the Rival Poet group. It is unknown who the rival poet was, and in fact it is possible that he never really existed. Among Shakespeare’s contemporaries who have been suggested are Edmund Spenser, Christopher Marlowe, Samuel Daniel, and others, although because certain lines in Sonnet 86 seem to allude to George Chapman, he is the most favored...
[The entire page is 1555 words long]
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