The lyrical hero of Shakespare's Sonnets

William Shakespeare (1564 – 1616)

He was born at Stratford-upon-Avon

At the age of 18 he married Anne Hathaway

Shakespeare's sonnets

The main themes of the sonnets are: time, love and beauty. Shakespeare used word "time" in his sonnets over 80 times.

All together Shakespeare wrote 154 sonnets which form a collection named "Shakespeare's sonnets". The collection was first published in 1609 and two of the sonnets had been published before in 1599(138th, 144th). At the beginning of the book is a strange dedication to someone Mr. W.H. who has stayed a mistery for scholars.

General information

№20 №130 №131 №133 №134 №134 №141 №116 №120

A key for reading the sonnets

The Fair Youth 1-126The Dark Lady 127- 152(153,154)

The Rival Poet 78-86

Characters

The Fair Youth1- 126 sonnetsEarliest sonnets talk about the benefits of love and marriage

After the 18th sonnet the tone changes into love and passion towards to the young man (20th!)

After 126th sonnet the young man is replaced by the Dark Lady

? Henry Wriothesly (who was one of the Shakespeare's patrons)

? William Herbert

Fair Friend

Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate: Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, And summer's lease hath all too short a date; Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines, And often is his gold complexion dimmed; And every fair from fair sometime declines, By chance or nature's changing course untrimmed: But thy eternal summer shall not fade, Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow'st, Nor shall Death brag thou wand'rest in his shade, When in eternal lines to time thou grow'st. So long as men can breathe or eyes can see, So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

Сравню ли с летним днем твои черты?Но ты милей, умеренней и краше.Ломает буря майские цветы,И так недолговечно лето наше!То нам слепит глаза небесный глаз,То светлый лик скрывает непогода.Ласкает, нежит и терзает насСвоей случайной прихотью природа.А у тебя не убывает день,Не увядает солнечное лето.И смертная тебя не скроет тень —Ты будешь вечно жить в строках поэта.    Среди живых ты будешь до тех пор,    Доколе дышит грудь и видит взор.

The Dark Lady127-152(153,154)Is called “dark” because of her black hair and dark skin

Shakespeare and this woman seemed to have a strong and fervid relationship but suddenly it ended. It has been suggested that the lady was unfaithful and broke his heart. It is certain that this lady wasn't Shakespeares wife because Shakespeare didn't quite love his wife. Nobody knows who this mistress is but there are some ladies who are thought to have had this honour.

Shakespeare describes her good and also bad features

153th and 154th differ from the earliers, these are based on Greek poems and tell a story of Cupid

Ее глаза на солнце не похожи, Коралл краснее, чем ее уста, Снег с грудью милой не одно и то же, Из черных проволок ее коса. Есть много роз пунцовых, белых, красных, Но я не вижу их в ее чертах, - Хоть благовоний много есть прекрасных, Увы, но только не в ее устах. Меня ее ворчанье восхищает, Но музыка звучит совсем не так. Не знаю, как богини выступают, Но госпожи моей не легок шаг. И все-таки, клянусь, она милее, Чем лучшая из смертных рядом с нею.

My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun; Coral is far more red than her lips' red; If snow be white; why then her breasts are dun; If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head. I have seen roses damasked, red and white, But no such roses see I in her cheeks, And in some perfumes is there more delight Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks. I love to hear her speak, yet well I know That music hath a far more pleasing sound; I grant I never saw a goddess go - My mistress when she walks treads on the ground. And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare As any she belied with false compare.

The Rival Poet78-86 sonnets, within the Fair Youth series

Identified as Christopher Marlowe or Goerge Chapman

Has a competition with Shakespeare

Was the poet`s life reflected in the

sonnets?

The Truth is Out There …