William Shakespeare

150+ William Shakespeare Poems

Sonnet 18

‘Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day?,’ also known as ‘Sonnet 18,’ is one of the Fair Youth poems. It is addressed to a mysterious male figure that scholars have been unable to identify.

William Shakespeare's poetry is an enduring testament to the power of language and the human experience. His works, including 'Sonnet 18,' are renowned for their poetic beauty, philosophical depth, and emotional resonance. Through his verse, Shakespeare explores universal themes of love, loss, and the human condition, captivating readers and audiences across generations.

Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?

Thou art more lovely and more temperate:

Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,

And summer's lease hath all too short a date:

Sonnet 73

Sonnet 73, ‘That time of year thou mayst in me behold’, explores love’s resilience in the face of human transience.

'Sonnet 73' is one of Shakespeare's most widely-read and critically acclaimed sonnets. It weaves a complex tale of the enduring power of love juxtaposed with old age and the transience of human life. With the intricate portrayal of passing youth, mortality, love, and aging, this sonnet culminates the thematic concerns of the initial 126 of Shakespeare's 154 sonnets. Its evocative imagery, rich metaphors, and timeless relevance to human feelings have garnered significant popularity and critical reception time and again.

That time of year thou mayst in me behold

When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang

Upon those boughs which shake against the cold,

Bare ruined choirs, where late the sweet birds sang.

Sonnet 130

Sonnet 130, ‘My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun,’ satirizes and subverts traditional love poetry, presenting a new perspective.

'Sonnet 130' is one of the most significant Shakespearean sonnets; even its content and approach are exceptional amidst the poetry of its time. Shakespeare ridicules the hyperbolic descriptions of the ideal women in contemporaneous poetry and offers genuine appreciation and acceptance of his beloved with all her human qualities and imperfections. His rejection of superficiality in love is much more modern and ahead of his time.

My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun;

Coral is far more red, than her lips red:

If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun;

If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.

Sonnet 1

Shakespeare’s Sonnet 1, ‘From fairest creatures we desire increase,’ appeals to the Fair Youth to procreate and preserve his beauty.

William Shakespeare disrupts the established tradition of love-poetry and courtly love right from his first of 154 sonnets. Sonnet 1 is critical as it serves as an introduction to other sonnets, often believed to be written after the other sonnets. It familiarizes the readers with Fair Youth, a young man with whom the male speaker interacts till the 126th sonnet. It begins the subset called 'procreation sonnets' wherein the speaker urges the Fair Youth to procreate. It also touches upon the thematics present throughout the 154 sonnets.

From fairest creatures we desire increase,

That thereby beauty’s rose might never die,

But as the riper should by time decease,

His tender heir might bear his memory;

Sonnet 29

Sonnet 29, ‘When, in disgrace with fortune and men’s eyes’ by William Shakespeare explores emotions of self-doubt, envy, despair, and the power of love.

This poem is one of the most significant sonnets of the Fair Youth sequence of Shakespeare's 154 sonnets. Like other sonnets, it is also a love poem but takes a distinctive approach to present love's power, which makes it timeless. The speaker finds solace and support from his beloved's love amidst his self-doubt and agonizing thoughts about his societal state. The need for and support of true love during distressful times is universal and timeless.

When, in disgrace with fortune and men’s eyes,

I all alone beweep my outcast state,

And trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries,

And look upon myself and curse my fate,

Sonnet 12

Sonnet 12, ‘When I do count the clock that tells the time,’ explores the impact of time on beauty and the potential for immortality.

'Sonnet 12' is one of the key initial sonnets of Shakespeare from the subset called 'procreation sonnets.' In 'procreation sonnets,' the speaker encourages the Fair Youth (with whom he has an intimate relationship) to marry and procreate. In this sonnet, the speaker meditates on the destructive force of time, which spares none, including nature's beauty, to motivate the Fair Youth to reproduce so that he can preserve his beauty against 'Time's scythe.'

When I do count the clock that tells the time,

And see the brave day sunk in hideous night;

When I behold the violet past prime,

And sable curls, all silvered o'er with white;

Sonnet 116

Sonnet 116: ‘Let me not to the marriage of true minds’ by William Shakespeare is easily one of the most recognizable sonnets of all time. It explores the nature of love and what “true love” is.

As one of the most celebrated playwrights and poets, Shakespeare's exploration of love in 'Sonnet 116' reflects his mastery in understanding human emotions. His unique way of portraying love's enduring quality has made this poem an exemplary work within the Western literary tradition.

Let me not to the marriage of true minds

Admit impediments. Love is not love

Which alters when it alteration finds,

Or bends with the remover to remove:

Carpe Diem

‘Carpe Diem’ by William Shakespeare is a love song from Twelfth Night, sung by Feste the clown/fool. It’s about love and youth. 

This is not a well-known Shakespeare poem compared to his best-known works. But it does include a few important and well-known lines.

O mistress mine, where are you roaming?

O stay and hear! your true-love's coming

That can sing both high and low;

Trip no further, pretty sweeting,

Wolsey’s Farewell to His Greatness

‘Wolsey’s Farewell to His Greatness’ by William Shakespeare is a set of lines found in Act III Scene 2 of Henry VIII, a famous history play. The lines are spoken by Cardinal Wolsey, one of the King’s closest advisors. 

This is a great excerpt from a well-loved Shakespearean play. The lines demonstrate how much Shakespeare enjoyed writing with figurative language and how compelling his writing can be.

Farewell! a long farewell, to all my greatness!

This is the state of man: to-day he puts forth

The tender leaves of hope, to-morrow blossoms,

And bears his blushing honours thick upon him:

Sonnet 151

Sonnet 151, ‘Love is too young to know what conscience is,’ navigates the complexities of love and lust in the speaker’s relationship.

'Sonnet 151' is one of the Shakespearean sonnets with the most overtly sexual tone and innuendos. The speaker yields to his bodily urges and continues to lust after his deceiving beloved. In his defense, he claims that 'Love is too young to know what conscience is,' meaning their love is not deep or soulful but emanates from dark sexual desires.

Love is too young to know what conscience is,

Yet who knows not conscience is born of love?

Then, gentle cheater, urge not my amiss,

Lest guilty of my faults thy sweet self prove:

Explore more poems from William Shakespeare

Sonnet 110

‘Sonnet 110’ or ‘Alas, ’tis true I have gone here and there’ is about the speaker’s realization that he only wants the Fair Youth.

'Sonnet 110' is part of the Fair Youth sequence wherein the speaker confesses and realizes his love for the young man mentioned in many sonnets that explore various intertwined themes, mainly related to love, time, beauty, and romantic relationships. Alternatively, this sonnet is also interpreted as Shakespeare's troubled relationship with theatre concerning his own contempt for his acting career.

Alas! 'tis true, I have gone here and there,

And made my self a motley to the view,

Gored mine own thoughts, sold cheap what is most dear,

Made old offences of affections new;

Sonnet 138

Sonnet 138, ‘When my love swears that she is made of truth,’ explores the complex dynamics of love, deception, and trust in a relationship. 

Shakespeare's sonnets showcasing his wit and linguistic prowess meditate on various aspects of love in romantic relationships. Similarly, Sonnet 138 delves into the dynamics of trust and deceit in a romantic relationship. It's a timeless piece as it portrays the nuances of the human condition desiring comfort and stability of love.

When my love swears that she is made of truth,

I do believe her though I know she lies,

That she might think me some untutored youth,

Unlearned in the world's false subtleties.

Sonnet 142

Sonnet 142, ‘Love is my sin, and thy dear virtue hate,’ explores the dynamics of desire and morality in the speaker’s relationship.

'Sonnet 142' is one of the sequences of Shakespearean sonnets that deal with lust and sexual passion. It deals with deceit and cheating in a romantic relationship that lacks love. It expresses the complex emotions of the speaker, who reproves his merely lustful feelings for his beloved. He chastises his lady for being proud of her sexual affairs with other men.

Love is my sin, and thy dear virtue hate,

Hate of my sin, grounded on sinful loving:

O! but with mine compare thou thine own state,

And thou shalt find it merits not reproving;

How sweet the moonlight sleeps upon this bank!

‘How sweet the moonlight sleeps upon this bank!’ by William Shakespeare is an excerpt from The Merchant of Venice, a famous Shakespearean play. The lines are found in Act V Scene 1 and are spoken by Lorenzo.

This is not William Shakespeare's best-known play excerpt. Readers are likely to know some of his other poems and plays far better.

How sweet the moonlight sleeps upon this bank!

Here will we sit and let the sounds of music

Creep in our ears: soft stillness and the night

Become the touches of sweet harmony.

Crabbed Age and Youth

‘Crabbed Age and Youth’ by William Shakespeare is an interesting poem that speaks about the differences between age and youth. 

It’s believed that William wrote this poem, but it is not a 100% confirmed fact. This means, by necessity, that this poem cannot represent Shakespeare's best verse. Even if it was certainly written by Shakespeare, it’s unlikely this poem would rank near his best.

Crabbed age and youth cannot live together:

Youth is full of pleasance, age is full of care;

Youth like summer morn, age like winter weather;

Youth like summer brave, age like winter bare.

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Crabbed Age and Youth

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