
Introduction to the Sonnets
Few collections of poems—indeed, few literary works in general—intrigue, challenge, tantalize, and reward as do Shakespeare’s Sonnets. Almost all of them love poems, the Sonnets philosophize, celebrate, attack, plead, and express pain, longing, and despair, all in a tone of voice that rarely rises above a reflective murmur, all spoken as if in an inner monologue or dialogue, and all within the tight structure of the English sonnet form.
The Folger Shakespeare
Our bestselling editions of Shakespeare's plays and poems
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.
When my love swears that she is made of truth
I do believe her though I know she lies
Shakespeare’s Sonnets in our collection
A selection of Folger collection items related to Shakespeare’s Sonnets. Find more in our digital image collection
Essays and resources from The Folger Shakespeare
Shakespeare’s Sonnets
Learn more about Shakespeare, his Sonnets, their language, and their history from the experts behind our edition.
Shakespeare’s Life
An essay about Shakespeare and the time in which he lived
About Shakespeare’s Sonnets
An introduction to the themes and interpretations of the Sonnets
Reading Shakespeare’s Language
A guide for understanding Shakespeare’s words, sentences, and poetic techniques
An Introduction to This Text
A description of the publishing history of the Sonnets and our editors’ approach to this edition
Textual Notes
A record of the variants in the early printings of this text
Appendix of Intertextual Material
Select excerpts from other works that Shakespeare references
A Modern Perspective
An essay by Lynne Magnusson
Further Reading
Suggestions from our experts on where to learn more
Index of First Lines
A list of the first lines of the Sonnets
Related blog posts and podcasts
Teaching Shakespeare’s Sonnets
Use the Folger Method to teach Shakespeare’s Sonnets. Become a Teacher Member to get exclusive access to lesson plans and professional development.
Early printed texts
Shakespeare’s Sonnets were first printed in 1609 in a quarto published by Thomas Thorpe. That edition is generally considered the authoritative text, and modern editors usually follow it as their source. Two of the poems in the 1609 sonnets (Sonnets 138 and 144) were published in the 1599 collection The Passionate Pilgrim; although the entire volume was attributed to Shakespeare, the collection is in fact a miscellany of poems by different authors. Some scholars, however, believe that the two sonnets by Shakespeare in that volume represent versions closer to Shakespeare’s manuscript than the 1609 versions. The sonnets were republished in 1640 by John Benson in a form very different from the 1609 collection, including a different order and individually titled poems. The Folger edition of the sonnets, like that of other modern editions, follows the 1609 text.