Description

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William Shakespeare, in addition to his famous plays, also wrote 154 sonnets which were first published in 1609. Shakespeare's sonnets are considered by some to be the prototype, or beginning of a new kind of modern (for the time) love poetry. The most famous of these, is #18, which contains the line "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day."So, here, for your enjoyment, are all 154 of the sonnets by the bard himself...

About the Author

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William Shakespeare was born in April 1564, in Stratford-upon-Avon, England, the third child of eight. When he was eighteen, William married Anne Hathaway, who was eight years older. They had three children. From 1858 to 1592, there are no records mentioning Shakespeare, but it is possible that he was employed as a schoolmaster. By 1592, several of Shakespeare's plays were on the London stage and in 1594, he formed his own playing company, being awarded a patent in 1603 by the King himself. By 1598, he began to sell copies of his plays and in 1599, he constructed the Globe Theatre. He wrote his last known play in 1613 and died on April 23, 1616. He is buried at Holy Trinity Church. The famous plays that he wrote are too numerous to name here, but include "Hamlet," Romeo and Juliet," and "Macbeth."