Shakespeare's Sonnets

First published in 1609, Shakespeare's sonnets are among the best-loved poems in the English language.  Suffused with powerful emotions, the sonnets speak of love, youth, jealousy, beauty, desire, betrayal--and the vagaries of the human heart.  The 154 sonnets are conventionally divided into two groups:  Sonnets 1-126 are addressed to a young nobleman, or "Fair Youth"; the remainder are directed to the imperious "Dark Lady."  While critics may continue to debate to what extent the sonnets are autobiographical, what remains beyond debate after four hundred years is the richness of their exquisite poetry.