The Sonnets

Essays examine Shakespeare's sonnets, offering speculation as to the identities of the young man and the dark lady mentioned in the sonnets, commentary on the works' strength and content, and a literary analysis of Shakespeare's major sonnets

Gr 10 Up--A useful compendium of excerpts from writings by established scholars of Shakespeare. Preceded by a meaty biography, the body of the collection is divided into four sections. The first three provide information, speculation on the identities of the young man and the "dark lady" addressed in the poems, and differing views on the poetic strengths and content of the sonnets as a group. The last section contains analyses, again varying, of several of the most often studied sonnets. Each excerpt is introduced with a synopsis of its content and a thumbnail sketch of the author's credentials. Footnote definitions of possibly unfamiliar terms are useful but brief, often to the point of inaccuracy. Appendixes include a glossary of literary terms, a handy chronology that includes interesting parallels during Shakespeare's life (Galileo was experimenting in Pisa about the time the sonnets were written), a list of Shakespeare's work by date, and a bibliography. Newer scholarship is represented sparsely in the bibliography and not at all in the text (the latest excerpt is from 1982). It is a solid representation, however, of differing approaches to the sonnets and should be appreciated by those writing papers and studying the poetry.

Sally Margolis, formerly at Deerfield Public Library, IL

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