Jul 26, 2008

Sonnets | Overview

In this excerpt, Maurice Charney discusses the development of the sonnet form and the effectiveness of his concluding couplets, the motifs of time and mutability, lyric and dramatic elements, and the poet-speaker's reflections on his creative powers.

Maurice Charney
[In this concise appraisal of various issues associated with Shakespeare's sonnets, Charney pays particular attention to Shakespeare's development of the sonnet form and the effectiveness of his concluding couplets. Charney also discusses the motifs of time and mutability, the presence of both lyric and dramatic elements in the sequence, and the poet-speaker's reflections on his creative powers.]

Thomas Thorpe published 154 Sonnets by Shakespeare followed by A Lover's Complaint (also said to be by Shakespeare) in 1609. Unlike the texts of Venus...