The Poems

<b>The Poems</b><br><br>Shakespeare&#146;s greatest achievement in nondramatic verse was his collection of 154 magnificent sonnets that portray a tumultuous world of love rivalry and conflict among a poet an aristocratic young man a rival poet and a mysterious &#147;dark lady.&#148; More profound than other Elizabethan sonnet sequences and never surpassed as archetypes of the form these poems explore almost every imaginable emotional complexity related to love and friendship. Some poems are dark bitter and self-hating others express idealism with unmatchable eloquence&#150;and all are of quintessential beauty part of the world&#146;s great literary heritage.<br><br>In addition to his sonnets Shakespeare published two long poems early in his career: <i>Venus and Adonis</i> and <i>The Rape of Lucrece</i>. Immediately popular in Shakespeare&#146;s time they display a richness that can also reward us with insights into the powerful imagery of his plays.<br><br>Rounding out this volume are two minor poems &#147;A Lover&#146;s Complaint&#148; and &#147;The Phoenix and Turtle&#148; thought to be part of Shakespeare&#146;s early writings.