The Sonnets of William Shakespeare are a cycle of 154 linked poems which were first published in 1609. They deal with many of their author's most common themes: jealousy, betrayal, melancholy,and are written in the same beautiful and innovative language that we have come to know from his play.
Yet these are more personal and, some would argue, more heartfelt than Shakespeare's drama: they ache with unfulfilled longing, and for many they are some of the most complete and moving meditations on love ever written.
