Shakespeare's Sonnets

Paper Summary:

Shakespeare's collection of 154 sonnets are analyzed for uniformity and genre. The paper shows that information about the sonnets is somewhat sketchy and incomplete. Scholars disagree on the order in which he wrote the sonnets, the identities of the people to whom he referred in the sonnets, and even whether or not he intended the sonnets to be autobiographical.

From the Paper:

"The sonnets address universal themes such as love, jealousy, and, interestingly, concerns about aging and the effects of the passage of time on one's life. In Sonnet 2, for instance, the persona encourages a friend in the bloom of youth to have children to carry on his beauty before age steals it away. In Sonnet 73, the persona laments his own old age. These two sonnets have several factors in common. Both are addressed to the same young friend or perhaps lover of the persona, both focus on the ravages of age, and both employ the symbolism of nature. There are, however, some major differences. While Sonnet 2 deals with renewal, Sonnet 73 clearly foreshadows the persona's impending death; and while Sonnet 2 essentially appeals to the selfish emotion of vanity, Sonnet 73 is about a selfless love."

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