Editing William Shakespeare (section)

==Poems==
In 1593 and 1594, when the theatres were closed because of [[Bubonic plague|plague]], Shakespeare published two narrative poems on sexual themes, ''[[Venus and Adonis (Shakespeare poem)|Venus and Adonis]]'' and ''[[The Rape of Lucrece]]''. He dedicated them to [[Henry Wriothesley, 3rd Earl of Southampton]]. In ''Venus and Adonis'', an innocent [[Adonis]] rejects the sexual advances of [[Venus (mythology)|Venus]]; while in ''The Rape of Lucrece'', the virtuous wife [[Lucretia|Lucrece]] is raped by the lustful [[Sextus Tarquinius|Tarquin]].{{sfn|Roe|2006|p=21}} Influenced by [[Ovid]]'s ''[[Metamorphoses]]'',{{sfn|Frye|2005|p=288}} the poems show the guilt and moral confusion that result from uncontrolled lust.{{sfn|Roe|2006|pp=3, 21}} Both proved popular and were often reprinted during Shakespeare's lifetime. A third narrative poem, ''[[A Lover's Complaint]]'', in which a young woman laments her seduction by a persuasive suitor, was printed in the first edition of the ''Sonnets'' in 1609. Most scholars now accept that Shakespeare wrote ''A Lover's Complaint''. Critics consider that its fine qualities are marred by leaden effects.{{sfn|Roe|2006|p=1}}{{sfn|Jackson|2004|pp=267–294}}{{sfn|Honan|1998|p=289}} ''[[The Phoenix and the Turtle]]'', printed in Robert Chester's 1601 ''Love's Martyr'', mourns the deaths of the legendary [[phoenix (mythology)|phoenix]] and his lover, the faithful [[European turtle dove|turtle dove]]. In 1599, two early drafts of sonnets 138 and 144 appeared in ''[[The Passionate Pilgrim]]'', published under Shakespeare's name but without his permission.{{sfn|Roe|2006|p=1}}{{sfn|Honan|1998|p=289}}{{sfn|Schoenbaum|1987|p=[https://archive.org/details/williamshakespea0000scho/page/327 327]}}

===Sonnets===
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{{Main|Shakespeare's sonnets}}
[[File:Sonnets1609titlepage.jpg|thumb|upright|left|Title page from 1609 edition of ''Shake-Speares Sonnets'']]

Published in 1609, the ''[[Shakespeare's sonnets|Sonnets]]'' were the last of Shakespeare's non-dramatic works to be printed. Scholars are not certain when each of the 154 sonnets was composed, but evidence suggests that Shakespeare wrote sonnets throughout his career for a private readership.{{sfn|Wood|2003|p=178}}{{sfn|Schoenbaum|1987|p=[https://archive.org/details/williamshakespea0000scho/page/180 180]}} Even before the two unauthorised sonnets appeared in ''The Passionate Pilgrim'' in 1599, [[Francis Meres]] had referred in 1598 to Shakespeare's "sugred Sonnets among his private friends".{{sfn|Honan|1998|p=180}} Few analysts believe that the published collection follows Shakespeare's intended sequence.{{sfn|Schoenbaum|1987|p=[https://archive.org/details/williamshakespea0000scho/page/268 268]}} He seems to have planned two contrasting series: one about uncontrollable lust for a married woman of dark complexion (the "dark lady"), and one about conflicted love for a fair young man (the "fair youth"). It remains unclear if these figures represent real individuals, or if the authorial "I" who addresses them represents Shakespeare himself, though [[Wordsworth]] believed that with the sonnets "Shakespeare unlocked his heart".{{sfn|Honan|1998|p=180}}{{sfn|Schoenbaum|1987|p=[https://archive.org/details/williamshakespea0000scho/page/180 180]}}

{{Quote box|align=right|quote=<poem>
Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate&nbsp;...
</poem>
|source=—Opening lines from Shakespeare's [[Sonnet 18]].{{sfn|Mowat|Werstine|n.d.}}}}

The 1609 edition was dedicated to a "Mr. W.H.", credited as "the only begetter" of the poems. It is not known whether this was written by Shakespeare himself or by the publisher, [[Thomas Thorpe]], whose initials appear at the foot of the dedication page; nor is it known who Mr. W.H. was, despite numerous theories, or whether Shakespeare even authorised the publication.{{sfn|Schoenbaum|1987|pp=268–269}} Critics praise the ''Sonnets'' as a profound meditation on the nature of love, sexual passion, procreation, death, and time.{{sfn|Wood|2003|p=177}}