Sonnet 130: My Mistress’ Eyes Are Nothing Like the Sun
Sonnet 130 is not a poem about an ordinary woman. It is a poem about what lying on behalf of a woman does to love.
“Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them.” — Twelfth Night
Sonnet 30: When to the Sessions of Sweet Silent Thought
Sonnet 30 turns the act of remembering into a form of grief, only to find that the thought…
Sonnet 4: Unthrifty Loveliness, Why Dost Thou Spend
Sonnet 4 is not a poem about beauty — it is a legal brief against a man who…
Sonnet 3: Look in Thy Glass, and Tell the Face Thou Viewest
Sonnet 3 is the first poem in the sequence to look backward — and that change of direction…
Sonnet 58: That God Forbid, That Made Me First Your Slave
Sonnet 58 is a performance of patience — and the couplet is where the performance breaks.
Sonnet 76: Why Is My Verse So Barren of New Pride
Read Sonnet 76 with the full poem and analysis exploring Shakespeare’s reflection on poetic style, originality, and constant…
Sonnet 92: But Do Thy Worst to Steal Thyself Away
Read Sonnet 92 with the full poem and analysis exploring Shakespeare’s themes of love, insecurity, and emotional dependence.