The first 126 sonnets in Shakespeare's sonnets are said to constitute a cycle, having controlling themes and a narrative progression that implies a dramatic plot of sorts. We do not know for certain that the order in which the first 126 sonnets were first printed (and are still printed) is the order that Shakespeare himself conceived. Yet there is indirect evidence to indicate that Shakespeare was consciously following the sonnet cycle model of earlier poets (including Sidney), so that certain themes and implied dramatic situations unite sections of the Sonnets and then give way to other motifs and narrative circumstances.

The first seventeen poems of Shakespeare's sonnets express the speaker's unqualified love for a young man whose youthful beauty is praised in exquisite lyrics. In these opening pieces, the speaker (or poet) entreats his friend to marry and to have children so that his extraordinary beauty will be perpetuated. Starting with the famous Sonnet 18, the poet begins to speak of the corrosive effects of time upon youthful beauty and of his beloved's need to have his beauty immortalized in the poet's own verse. At this juncture in the cycle, several of the sonnets imply that the poet's beloved has either left him for another or that the poet's affection has not been returned by the young man. It is of (possible) significance that in Sonnet 40 et seq. the young man is accused of having stolen the poet's own (and presumably female) lover, who may be the Dark Lady of Sonnets 127 through 154.

As the bonds of affection between the poet and his love object undergo dramatic and thematic qualifications, so too does the poet's initial assurance that his poetry can immortalize the beauty of his beloved. Thus, in Sonnet 65 ("Since brass, nor stone, nor earth, nor boundless sea") the speaker concludes that his words (written in black ink) might endure and keep his feelings toward his beloved from evaporating under the grinding power of time. In several of these middle sonnets, the poet acknowledges the problems of his love for the young man but also suggests that the understandable cooling of his beloved's ardor can be rekindled. In Sonnet 73 ("That time of year thou mayst in me behold"), for example, the poet anticipates that his beloved will notice that he is growing older and that he is now in the autumnal stage of life. Rather than assume that the young man will be repulsed by ongoing decay and the sense that the speaker's death is drawing nearer, the poet proclaims that this should spur his lover to embrace him more fully and urgently.

The complications of rival lovers and of time in several of the sonnets of the 18 to 77 number range yield to another concern in Sonnets 78 through 86. In this sub-group, the poet waxes jealous over his speculation that his beloved young man has found another poet (a George Chapman, for example) to render his beauty into words for the ages. Literary historians have interpreted this group of sonnets to be an expression of the poet's (i.e., Shakespeare's) disturbance at a shift in the largesse of one of his patrons toward another writer. Another theme with an autobiographical resonance surfaces in Sonnets 110, 111, and 112. In these three poems, the speaker speaks of his worry that the young man has turned from him because of public display, the poet allowing that he has gone to the theater, appeared as a "motley" on the stage, and this "sold cheap" to the theater-going masses that which is "most dear."

But in the last dozen sonnets of the young man group, the spirit of love without qualification and of a reconciliation between the poet and his beloved is reasserted. Thus, the the final piece in this set, Sonnet 126, returns to the theme of the first seventeen poems—the young man's physical beauty and its immortalization through the verses penned by the poet/speaker.

The second and far smaller group of poems (Sonnets 127 through 154) are addressed to a different listener, a woman of dark complexion and "purple" sexual mores whom critics have traditionally called the Dark Lady of Shakespeare's sonnets. Sometimes called the "vituperative sonnets," the last 28 sonnets of the standard collection consist of variations on the poet/speaker's complaints about his female lover's infidelity and/or indifference toward him. In several of these poems, the inference is that the Dark Lady addressed is a married woman; the speaker charges her with betraying both the poet and her husband for yet a third lover. More specifically, in Sonnets 133 and 134, the poet voices his suspicion that the Dark Lady has been having (another) extramarital affair with one of the poet's own friends, possibly with the young man of Sonnets 1 through 126. The possible connection of these two Dark Lady sonnets with Sonnets 40, 41, and 42 (in which the speaker charges his beloved male friend of infidelity with a loose woman) is intriguing. It is by no means evident, however, that Shakespeare intended any such plot bridge between the two groups of poems that make up his sonnets.

Themes
Human love, in its various forms, is a central theme in Shakespeare's sonnets. Scholars have highlighted the numerous types of love depicted in these poems: spiritual, erotic, parental, and filial. They note that these works explore the contradictory nature of human passion from different angles, sometimes idealizing love and at other times treating it with sarcasm. Many critics underscore Shakespeare's innovative approach to the traditions of courtly and Petrarchan love. They juxtapose the Renaissance ideal of human love—a balance and complement of earthly and heavenly desires—with the sonnets' portrayal of these desires as conflicting extremes.

Critics have suggested that in Shakespeare's sonnets, love is occasionally portrayed as a source of inspiration for transcendent art, with the lover asserting he can immortalize his beloved's beauty and worth through poetry. In this way, love and art combine to overcome time and its destructive effects. Love is also depicted as a force that can help a person achieve the highest virtues of human nature: patience, understanding, selflessness, and forgiveness. However, some commentators argue that the sonnets' portrayal of self-sacrificing love serves as a satire on the servile lover of the sonnet tradition, who eagerly took on the role of a devoted servant, fulfilling his mistress's every desire. Critics have also observed that love in the sonnets can appear as infatuation, clouding the lover's judgment. Particularly in Sonnets 127-152, love is represented as lust or carnal desire, a passion that degrades the soul and lowers the lover. Yet, some critics note that the Dark Lady sonnets humorously and energetically depict sensual love as a vital aspect of human nature. Additionally, love is portrayed as friendship, with some commentators interpreting the relationship between the Poet and the Friend as reflecting the classical idea that a deep friendship between two men holds more intrinsic value than a sexual relationship between a man and a woman.

Throughout the centuries, scholars have variously denied, confronted, accepted, and celebrated the ambiguous eroticism of the sonnets. A seventeenth-century editor even altered all masculine pronouns and adjectives to their feminine forms, transforming the beloved of Sonnets 1-126 into a woman. Eighteenth- and nineteenth-century editors and commentators grappled with the implications of using masculine address in the central part of the sequence. Twentieth-century critics are divided on whether the relationship between the Poet and the Friend is sexual. Nonetheless, nearly all agree that regardless of the nature of their relationship, it offers no insight into the personal life of the sonnets' author. Stephen Booth's assertion on the biographical fallacy is often cited: "William Shakespeare was almost certainly homosexual, bisexual, or heterosexual. The sonnets provide no evidence on the matter."

In Shakespeare's sonnets, a central theme related to love is the betrayal of love. Most scholars agree that while the Poet accuses the Dark Lady of sexual infidelity, he is far more troubled by the Friend's unfaithfulness. Critics have observed that the Poet fears the young man will be inconsistent, yet he tries to suppress these doubts and trust him. When the Friend betrays him, the Poet attempts to rationalize and excuse the infidelity, then reproaches the young man for his deceit and himself for trusting him. Several scholars note that the shock of betrayal is heightened because the Poet believes there is a direct correlation between the young man's outward beauty and his inner self. When the Poet realizes there is a disparity rather than a correspondence, he is devastated. Nonetheless, commentators generally agree that the Poet's love for the young man endures, though it may become tempered by a more realistic understanding of his friend's true nature.

Several critics have claimed that narcissism is a significant motif connected to the main theme of love. In their view, many of these sonnets highlight the sterility and deceptiveness of self-love and emphasize the idea that "To give away yourself keeps yourself still" (Sonnet 16). This motif is perhaps most evident in the "procreation sonnets" (1-17), where the Poet encourages the young man to marry and have children so that his beauty and virtue can be passed down through generations. However, critics have pointed out that the sonnets equate self-love with barrenness in other ways as well. Viewing one's natural gifts as personal assets rather than attributes to be shared with others is also unproductive: hoarding one's treasures instead of using them is akin to wasting them, as time will ultimately consume them. Moreover, some commentators observe that the sonnets warn that self-love inevitably traps the narcissist into believing what false friends and lovers say about him.

Narrative and Dramatic Elements
Discussions of narrative elements often begin by noting that the order in which Shakespeare's sonnets appear in most modern editions follows the sequence established by Thomas Thorpe in the original 1609 publication. We do not know if Shakespeare had any involvement in this publication, and thus we cannot be certain if this is the intended order. Many scholars, believing that a coherent story would emerge if the sonnets were rearranged, have proposed new sequences. However, none of these rearrangements has gained significant acceptance among other critics and commentators.

Numerous summaries of the storyline in Shakespeare's sonnets have been published. These summaries vary greatly in length, from a single sentence to over thirty pages. Critics generally concur that the sonnets lack a traditional plot structure. Most note the absence of a clear sequence of events, specific actions, or markers of time and place. Recently, some scholars have suggested that certain sonnets within the first group (1-126) might be directed towards the Dark Lady. Since the exact recipients of many sonnets remain uncertain, it is impossible to trace a coherent—even if fragmented—narrative. Critics maintain that the sequence emphasizes the speaker's thoughts and emotions rather than a series of events.

From the mid-nineteenth century to today, Shakespeare's sonnets have often been interpreted as a collection of dramatic monologues. Consequently, many scholars describe the sonnets as "dramatic" because they establish an immediate emotional connection between the speaker and the audience. Additionally, some critics view the tensions described between the speaker and his young friend, and between the speaker and his mistress, as inherently dramatic. However, others argue that the sonnets are nondramatic since they seem to unfold in an eternal present.

Language and Imagery
One of the defining features of Shakespeare's sonnets is their linguistic creativity. Critics have observed that the language is dense and intricate, filled with meaning, contradictions, nuances, and resonances. They have also noted that Shakespeare's vocabulary, imagery, and word choice are tightly interwoven with the themes or topics of each poem. Some commentators suggest that the ambiguity in Shakespeare's language reflects his conflicted feelings towards his poetic subjects. Others have highlighted the broad range of tones within the sequence, noting the frequent and sudden shifts from playfulness to mockery, intensity to detachment, and ecstasy to despair. Studies of the sonnets' sophisticated verbal patterns have examined elements such as alliteration and assonance, syntax, neologisms, puns, and other forms of wordplay, as well as Shakespeare's use of paradox and antithesis.

The figurative language in these poems is a primary focus of critical analysis. There is a general consensus that the imagery in Shakespeare's sonnets serves a functional purpose rather than merely being decorative. Often, imagery acts as a cohesive element that connects individual sonnets, forming a formal pattern that unites poems that might otherwise seem disconnected in logic or theme.

Critics have frequently noted the multiple associations attached to a single image, suggesting that readers should not attempt to identify one meaning as more important than the others within this rich blend of connotations. Images derived from nature are prevalent throughout the sequence, especially in relation to the changing seasons and the cycles of growth and decay.

Other significant metaphorical themes include wealth and treasure, corruption and illness, scarcity and abundance, and the power of procreation and poetry to immortalize beauty and resist the passage of time.