Shakespeare's other work.
Shakespeare's Plays before the publication of the First Folio in 1623, nineteen of the thirty-seven plays in Shakespeare's canon had appeared in quarto format. With the exception of Othello (1622), all of the quartos were published prior to the date of Shakespeare's retirement from the theatre in about 1611. It is unlikely that Shakespeare was involved directly with the printing of any of his plays, although it should be noted that two of his poems, Venus and Adonis and The Rape of Lucrece were almost certainly printed under his direct supervision.
Here you will find the complete text of Shakespeare's plays, based primarily on the First Folio, and a variety of helpful resources, including extensive explanatory notes, character analysis, source information, and articles and book excerpts on a wide range of topics unique to each drama.Tragedies Antony and Cleopatra (1607-1608)
The story of Mark Antony, Roman military leader and triumvir, who is madly in love with Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt.
Earliest known text: First Folio (1623).
Coriolanus (1607-1608)
The last of Shakespeare's great political tragedies, chronicling the life of the mighty warrior Caius Marcius Coriolanus.
Earliest known text: First Folio (1623).
Hamlet (1600-1601)
Since its first recorded production, Hamlet has engrossed playgoers, thrilled readers, and challenged actors more so than any other play in the Western canon. No other single work of fiction has produced more commonly used expressions.
Earliest known text: Quarto (1603).
Julius Caesar (1599-1600)
Although there were earlier Elizabethan plays on the subject of Julius Caesar and his turbulent rule, Shakespeare's penetrating study of political life in ancient Rome is the only version to recount the demise of Brutus and the other conspirators.
Earliest known text: First Folio (1623).
King Lear (1605-1606)
The story of King Lear, an aging monarch who decides to divide his kingdom amongst his three daughters, according to which one recites the best declaration of love.
Earliest known text: Quarto (1608).
Macbeth (1605-1606)
Macbeth is one of Shakespeare's most stimulating and popular dramas. Renaissance records of Shakespeare's plays in performance are scarce, but a detailed account of an original production of Macbeth has survived, thanks to Dr. Simon Forman.
Earliest known text: First Folio (1623).
Othello (1604-1605)
Othello, a valiant Moorish general in the service of Venice, falls prey to the devious schemes of his false friend, Iago.
Earliest known text: Quarto (1622).
Romeo and Juliet (1594-1595)
Celebrated for the radiance of its lyric poetry, Romeo and Juliet was tremendously popular from its first performance. The sweet whispers shared by young Tudor lovers throughout the realm were often referred to as "naught but pure Romeo and Juliet."
Earliest known text: Quarto (1597).
Timon of Athens (1607-1608)
Written late in Shakespeare's career, Timon of Athens is criticized as an underdeveloped tragedy, likely co-written by George Wilkins or Cyril Tourneur. Read the play and see if you agree.
Earliest known text: First Folio (1623).
Titus Andronicus (1593-1594)
A sordid tale of revenge and political turmoil, overflowing with bloodshed and unthinkable brutality. The play was not printed with Shakespeare credited as author during his lifetime, and critics are divided between whether it is the product of another dramatist or simply Shakespeare's first attempt at the genre.
Earliest known text: Quarto (1594).
Histories Henry IV, Part I (1597-1598)
One of Shakespeare's most popular plays, featuring the opportunistic miscreant, Sir John Falstaff.
Earliest known text: Quarto (1598).
Henry IV, Part II (1597-1598)
This is the third play in the second tetralogy of history plays, along with Richard II, Henry IV, Part 1, and Henry V.
Earliest known text: Quarto (1600).
Henry V (1598-1599)
Henry V is the last in the second tetralogy sequence. King Henry is considered Shakespeare's ideal monarch.
Earliest known text: Quarto (1600).
Henry VI, Part I (1591-1592)
The first in Shakespeare's trilogy about the War of the Roses between the houses of Lancaster and York.
Earliest known text: First Folio (1623).
Henry VI, Part II (1590-1591)
Part two of Shakespeare's chronicle play. Based on Hall's work, the play contains some historical inaccuracies.
Earliest known text: Quarto (1594).
Henry VI, Part III (1590-1591)
Part three begins in medias res, with the duke of Suffolk dead and the duke of York being named Henry VI's heir.
Earliest known text: Quarto (1595).
Henry VIII (1612-1613)
Many believe Henry VIII to be Shakespeare's last play, but others firmly believe that he had little, if anything, to do with its creation.
Earliest known text: First Folio (1623).
King John (1596-1597)
In the shadow of Shakespeare’s second tetralogy of history plays lies the neglected masterpiece, King John. Although seldom read or performed today, King John was once one of Shakespeare's most popular histories, praised for its poetic brilliance.
Earliest known text: First Folio (1623).
Richard II (1595-1596)
More so than Shakespeare's earlier history plays, Richard II is notable for its well-rounded characters.
Earliest known text: Quarto (1597).
Richard III (1592-1593)
The devious machinations of the deformed villain, Richard, duke of Gloucester, made this play an Elizabethan favorite.
Earliest known text: Quarto (1597).Comedies All's Well That Ends Well (1602-1603)
In 1767, a scholar named Richard Farmer concluded that this play is really the revision of Shakespeare's missingLove's Labour's Won, which was likely written around 1592. It is considered a problem play, due primarily to the character Helena and her ambiguous nature. Is she a virtuous lady or a crafty temptress?
Earliest known text: First Folio (1623).
As You Like It (1599-1600)
As You Like It is considered by many to be one of Shakespeare's greatest comedies, and the heroine, Rosalind, is praised as one of his most inspiring characters.
Earliest known text: First Folio (1623).
The Comedy of Errors (1592-1593)
This is Shakespeare's shortest play, which he based on Menaechmi by Plautus.
Earliest known text: First Folio (1623).
Cymbeline (1609-1610)
This play, modeled after Boccaccio's Decameron, is often classified as a romance. It features the beautiful Imogen, considered by many to be Shakespeare's most admirable female character.
Earliest known text: First Folio (1623).
Love's Labour's Lost (1594-1595)
Love's Labour's Lost is a play of witty banter and little plot, written during the early part of Shakespeare's literary career, when his focus was on fancy conceits and the playful nature of love.
Earliest known text: Quarto (1598).
Measure for Measure (1604-1605)
Considered a "dark" comedy, Measure for Measure was inspired by Cinthio's Epitia and Whetstone's Promos and Cassandra.
Earliest known text: First Folio (1623).
The Merchant of Venice (1596-1597)
The character of Shylock has raised a debate over whether the play should be condemned as anti-Semitic, and this controversy has overshadowed many other aspects of the play.
Earliest known text: Quarto (1600).
The Merry Wives of Windsor (1600-1601)
The Merry Wives is unique amongst Shakespeare's plays because it is set in Shakespeare's England. It features the Bard's beloved character, Falstaff.
Earliest known text: Quarto (1602).
A Midsummer Night's Dream (1595-1596)
A magical exploration of the mysteries of love, and one of Shakespeare's best-known comedies.
Earliest known text: Quarto (1600).
Much Ado About Nothing (1598-1599)
The story of two very different sets of lovers, Beatrice and Benedick and Claudio and Hero. The witty banter between Beatrice and Benedick is the highlight of the play.
Earliest known text: Quarto (1600).
Pericles, Prince of Tyre (1608-1609)
Portions of Pericles are ripe with imagery and symbolism but the first three acts and scenes v and vi (the notorious brothel scenes) of Act IV are considered inadequate and likely the work of two other dramatists. The play was not included in the First Folio of 1623. In Shakespeare's sources, Pericles is named Apollonius.
Earliest known text: Quarto (1609).
The Taming of the Shrew (1593-1594)
The Taming of the Shrew revolves around the troubled relationship between Katharina and her suitor, Petruchio, who is determined to mold Katharina into a suitable wife.
Earliest known text: First Folio (1623).
The Tempest (1611-1612)
Hailed as a stunning climax to the career of England’s favorite dramatist, The Tempest is a play praising the glories of reconciliation and forgiveness. Some believe that Prospero’s final speeches signify Shakespeare’s personal adieu from the stage.
Earliest known text: First Folio (1623).
Troilus and Cressida (1601-1602)
Troilus and Cressida is difficult to categorize because it lacks elements vital to both comedies and tragedies. But, for now, it is classified as a comedy.
Earliest known text: Quarto (1609).
Twelfth Night (1599-1600)
Shakespeare loved to use the device of mistaken identity, and nowhere does he use this convention more skillfully than in Twelfth Night.
Earliest known text: First Folio (1623).
Two Gentlemen of Verona (1594-1595)
The tale of two friends who travel to Milan and learn about the chaotic world of courting.
Earliest known text: First Folio (1623).
The Winter's Tale (1610-1611)
The Winter's Tale is considered a romantic comedy, but tragic elements are woven throughout the play. We have a first-hand account of a production of the play at the Globe in 1611. It is one of Shakespeare's final plays.
Earliest known text: First Folio (1623).
Here you will find the complete text of Shakespeare's plays, based primarily on the First Folio, and a variety of helpful resources, including extensive explanatory notes, character analysis, source information, and articles and book excerpts on a wide range of topics unique to each drama.Tragedies Antony and Cleopatra (1607-1608)
The story of Mark Antony, Roman military leader and triumvir, who is madly in love with Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt.
Earliest known text: First Folio (1623).
Coriolanus (1607-1608)
The last of Shakespeare's great political tragedies, chronicling the life of the mighty warrior Caius Marcius Coriolanus.
Earliest known text: First Folio (1623).
Hamlet (1600-1601)
Since its first recorded production, Hamlet has engrossed playgoers, thrilled readers, and challenged actors more so than any other play in the Western canon. No other single work of fiction has produced more commonly used expressions.
Earliest known text: Quarto (1603).
Julius Caesar (1599-1600)
Although there were earlier Elizabethan plays on the subject of Julius Caesar and his turbulent rule, Shakespeare's penetrating study of political life in ancient Rome is the only version to recount the demise of Brutus and the other conspirators.
Earliest known text: First Folio (1623).
King Lear (1605-1606)
The story of King Lear, an aging monarch who decides to divide his kingdom amongst his three daughters, according to which one recites the best declaration of love.
Earliest known text: Quarto (1608).
Macbeth (1605-1606)
Macbeth is one of Shakespeare's most stimulating and popular dramas. Renaissance records of Shakespeare's plays in performance are scarce, but a detailed account of an original production of Macbeth has survived, thanks to Dr. Simon Forman.
Earliest known text: First Folio (1623).
Othello (1604-1605)
Othello, a valiant Moorish general in the service of Venice, falls prey to the devious schemes of his false friend, Iago.
Earliest known text: Quarto (1622).
Romeo and Juliet (1594-1595)
Celebrated for the radiance of its lyric poetry, Romeo and Juliet was tremendously popular from its first performance. The sweet whispers shared by young Tudor lovers throughout the realm were often referred to as "naught but pure Romeo and Juliet."
Earliest known text: Quarto (1597).
Timon of Athens (1607-1608)
Written late in Shakespeare's career, Timon of Athens is criticized as an underdeveloped tragedy, likely co-written by George Wilkins or Cyril Tourneur. Read the play and see if you agree.
Earliest known text: First Folio (1623).
Titus Andronicus (1593-1594)
A sordid tale of revenge and political turmoil, overflowing with bloodshed and unthinkable brutality. The play was not printed with Shakespeare credited as author during his lifetime, and critics are divided between whether it is the product of another dramatist or simply Shakespeare's first attempt at the genre.
Earliest known text: Quarto (1594).
Histories Henry IV, Part I (1597-1598)
One of Shakespeare's most popular plays, featuring the opportunistic miscreant, Sir John Falstaff.
Earliest known text: Quarto (1598).
Henry IV, Part II (1597-1598)
This is the third play in the second tetralogy of history plays, along with Richard II, Henry IV, Part 1, and Henry V.
Earliest known text: Quarto (1600).
Henry V (1598-1599)
Henry V is the last in the second tetralogy sequence. King Henry is considered Shakespeare's ideal monarch.
Earliest known text: Quarto (1600).
Henry VI, Part I (1591-1592)
The first in Shakespeare's trilogy about the War of the Roses between the houses of Lancaster and York.
Earliest known text: First Folio (1623).
Henry VI, Part II (1590-1591)
Part two of Shakespeare's chronicle play. Based on Hall's work, the play contains some historical inaccuracies.
Earliest known text: Quarto (1594).
Henry VI, Part III (1590-1591)
Part three begins in medias res, with the duke of Suffolk dead and the duke of York being named Henry VI's heir.
Earliest known text: Quarto (1595).
Henry VIII (1612-1613)
Many believe Henry VIII to be Shakespeare's last play, but others firmly believe that he had little, if anything, to do with its creation.
Earliest known text: First Folio (1623).
King John (1596-1597)
In the shadow of Shakespeare’s second tetralogy of history plays lies the neglected masterpiece, King John. Although seldom read or performed today, King John was once one of Shakespeare's most popular histories, praised for its poetic brilliance.
Earliest known text: First Folio (1623).
Richard II (1595-1596)
More so than Shakespeare's earlier history plays, Richard II is notable for its well-rounded characters.
Earliest known text: Quarto (1597).
Richard III (1592-1593)
The devious machinations of the deformed villain, Richard, duke of Gloucester, made this play an Elizabethan favorite.
Earliest known text: Quarto (1597).Comedies All's Well That Ends Well (1602-1603)
In 1767, a scholar named Richard Farmer concluded that this play is really the revision of Shakespeare's missingLove's Labour's Won, which was likely written around 1592. It is considered a problem play, due primarily to the character Helena and her ambiguous nature. Is she a virtuous lady or a crafty temptress?
Earliest known text: First Folio (1623).
As You Like It (1599-1600)
As You Like It is considered by many to be one of Shakespeare's greatest comedies, and the heroine, Rosalind, is praised as one of his most inspiring characters.
Earliest known text: First Folio (1623).
The Comedy of Errors (1592-1593)
This is Shakespeare's shortest play, which he based on Menaechmi by Plautus.
Earliest known text: First Folio (1623).
Cymbeline (1609-1610)
This play, modeled after Boccaccio's Decameron, is often classified as a romance. It features the beautiful Imogen, considered by many to be Shakespeare's most admirable female character.
Earliest known text: First Folio (1623).
Love's Labour's Lost (1594-1595)
Love's Labour's Lost is a play of witty banter and little plot, written during the early part of Shakespeare's literary career, when his focus was on fancy conceits and the playful nature of love.
Earliest known text: Quarto (1598).
Measure for Measure (1604-1605)
Considered a "dark" comedy, Measure for Measure was inspired by Cinthio's Epitia and Whetstone's Promos and Cassandra.
Earliest known text: First Folio (1623).
The Merchant of Venice (1596-1597)
The character of Shylock has raised a debate over whether the play should be condemned as anti-Semitic, and this controversy has overshadowed many other aspects of the play.
Earliest known text: Quarto (1600).
The Merry Wives of Windsor (1600-1601)
The Merry Wives is unique amongst Shakespeare's plays because it is set in Shakespeare's England. It features the Bard's beloved character, Falstaff.
Earliest known text: Quarto (1602).
A Midsummer Night's Dream (1595-1596)
A magical exploration of the mysteries of love, and one of Shakespeare's best-known comedies.
Earliest known text: Quarto (1600).
Much Ado About Nothing (1598-1599)
The story of two very different sets of lovers, Beatrice and Benedick and Claudio and Hero. The witty banter between Beatrice and Benedick is the highlight of the play.
Earliest known text: Quarto (1600).
Pericles, Prince of Tyre (1608-1609)
Portions of Pericles are ripe with imagery and symbolism but the first three acts and scenes v and vi (the notorious brothel scenes) of Act IV are considered inadequate and likely the work of two other dramatists. The play was not included in the First Folio of 1623. In Shakespeare's sources, Pericles is named Apollonius.
Earliest known text: Quarto (1609).
The Taming of the Shrew (1593-1594)
The Taming of the Shrew revolves around the troubled relationship between Katharina and her suitor, Petruchio, who is determined to mold Katharina into a suitable wife.
Earliest known text: First Folio (1623).
The Tempest (1611-1612)
Hailed as a stunning climax to the career of England’s favorite dramatist, The Tempest is a play praising the glories of reconciliation and forgiveness. Some believe that Prospero’s final speeches signify Shakespeare’s personal adieu from the stage.
Earliest known text: First Folio (1623).
Troilus and Cressida (1601-1602)
Troilus and Cressida is difficult to categorize because it lacks elements vital to both comedies and tragedies. But, for now, it is classified as a comedy.
Earliest known text: Quarto (1609).
Twelfth Night (1599-1600)
Shakespeare loved to use the device of mistaken identity, and nowhere does he use this convention more skillfully than in Twelfth Night.
Earliest known text: First Folio (1623).
Two Gentlemen of Verona (1594-1595)
The tale of two friends who travel to Milan and learn about the chaotic world of courting.
Earliest known text: First Folio (1623).
The Winter's Tale (1610-1611)
The Winter's Tale is considered a romantic comedy, but tragic elements are woven throughout the play. We have a first-hand account of a production of the play at the Globe in 1611. It is one of Shakespeare's final plays.
Earliest known text: First Folio (1623).
Shakespeare's Sonnets
The Sonnets are Shakespeare's most popular works, and a few of them, such as Sonnet 18(Shall I compare thee to a summer's day), Sonnet 116 (Let me not to the marriage of true minds), and Sonnet 73 (That time of year thou mayst in me behold), have become the most widely-read poems in all of English literature. Here you will find the text of each Shakespearean sonnet with commentary for most.
Sonnet 1-From fairest creatures we desire increase
Sonnet 2-When forty winters shall beseige thy brow
Sonnet 3-Look in thy glass, and tell the face thou viewest
Sonnet 4-Unthrifty loveliness, why dost thou spend
Sonnet 5-Those hours, that with gentle work did frame
Sonnet 6-Then let not winter's ragged hand deface
Sonnet 7-Lo! in the orient when the gracious light
Sonnet 8-Music to hear, why hear'st thou music sadly?
Sonnet 9-Is it for fear to wet a widow's eye
Sonnet 10-For shame! deny that thou bear'st love to any,
Sonnet 11-As fast as thou shalt wane, so fast thou growest
Sonnet 12-When I do count the clock that tells the time,
Sonnet 13-O, that you were yourself! but, love, you are
Sonnet 14-Not from the stars do I my judgment pluck
Sonnet 15-When I consider every thing that grows
Sonnet 16-But wherefore do not you a mightier way
Sonnet 17-Who will believe my verse in time to come,
Sonnet 18-Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?
Sonnet 19-Devouring Time, blunt thou the lion's paws
Sonnet 20-A woman's face with Nature's own hand painted
Sonnet 21-So is it not with me as with that Muse
Sonnet 22-My glass shall not persuade me I am old,
Sonnet 23-As an unperfect actor on the stage
Sonnet 24-Mine eye hath play'd the painter and hath stell'd
Sonnet 25-Let those who are in favour with their stars
Sonnet 26-Lord of my love, to whom in vassalage
Sonnet 27-Weary with toil, I haste me to my bed,
Sonnet 28-How can I then return in happy plight,
Sonnet 29-When, in disgrace with fortune and men's eyes
Sonnet 30-When to the sessions of sweet silent thought
Sonnet 31-Thy bosom is endeared with all hearts,
Sonnet 32-If thou survive my well-contented day,
Sonnet 33-Full many a glorious morning have I seen
Sonnet 34-Why didst thou promise such a beauteous day,
Sonnet 35-No more be grieved at that which thou hast done
Sonnet 36-Let me confess that we two must be twain,
Sonnet 37-As a decrepit father takes delight
Sonnet 38-How can my Muse want subject to invent,
Sonnet 39-O, how thy worth with manners may I sing
Sonnet 40-Take all my loves, my love, yea, take them all;
Sonnet 41-Those petty wrongs that liberty commits,
Sonnet 42-That thou hast her, it is not all my grief,
Sonnet 43-When most I wink, then do mine eyes best see,
Sonnet 44-If the dull substance of my flesh were thought
Sonnet 45-The other two, slight air and purging fire,
Sonnet 46-Mine eye and heart are at a mortal war
Sonnet 47-Betwixt mine eye and heart a league is took
Sonnet 48-How careful was I, when I took my way,
Sonnet 49-Against that time, if ever that time come,
Sonnet 50-How heavy do I journey on the way,
Sonnet 51-Thus can my love excuse the slow offence
Sonnet 52-So am I as the rich, whose blessed key
Sonnet 53-What is your substance, whereof are you made,
Sonnet 54-O, how much more doth beauty beauteous seem
Sonnet 55-Not marble, nor the gilded monuments
Sonnet 56-Sweet love, renew thy force; be it not said
Sonnet 57-Being your slave, what should I do but tend
Sonnet 58-That god forbid that made me first your slave
Sonnet 59-If there be nothing new, but that which is
Sonnet 60-Like as the waves make towards the pebbled shore,
Sonnet 61-Is it thy will thy image should keep open
Sonnet 62-Sin of self-love possesseth all mine eye
Sonnet 63-Against my love shall be, as I am now,
Sonnet 64-When I have seen by Time's fell hand defaced
Sonnet 65-Since brass, nor stone, nor earth, nor boundless sea
Sonnet 66-Tired with all these, for restful death I cry,
Sonnet 67-Ah! wherefore with infection should he live,
Sonnet 68-Thus is his cheek the map of days outworn,
Sonnet 69-Those parts of thee that the world's eye doth view
Sonnet 70-That thou art blamed shall not be thy defect,
Sonnet 71-No longer mourn for me when I am dead
Sonnet 72-O, lest the world should task you to recite
Sonnet 73-That time of year thou mayst in me behold
Sonnet 74-But be contented: when that fell arrest
Sonnet 75-So are you to my thoughts as food to life
Sonnet 76-Why is my verse so barren of new pride,
Sonnet 77-Thy glass will show thee how thy beauties wear,
Sonnet 78-So oft have I invoked thee for my Muse
Sonnet 79-Whilst I alone did call upon thy aid,
Sonnet 80-O, how I faint when I of you do write
Sonnet 81-Or I shall live your epitaph to make,
Sonnet 82-I grant thou wert not married to my Muse
Sonnet 83-I never saw that you did painting need
Sonnet 84-Who is it that says most? which can say more
Sonnet 85-My tongue -tied Muse in manners holds her still,
Sonnet 86-Was it the proud full sail of his great verse,
Sonnet 87-Farewell! thou art too dear for my possessing,
Sonnet 88-When thou shalt be disposed to set me light,
Sonnet 89-Say that thou didst forsake me for some fault,
Sonnet 90-Then hate me when thou wilt; if ever, now;
Sonnet 91-Some glory in their birth, some in their skill,
Sonnet 92-But do thy worst to steal thyself away,
Sonnet 93-So shall I live, supposing thou art true
Sonnet 94-They that have power to hurt and will do none,
Sonnet 95-How sweet and lovely dost thou make the shame
Sonnet 96-Some say thy fault is youth, some wantonness;
Sonnet 97-How like a winter hath my absence been
Sonnet 98-From you have I been absent in the spring,
Sonnet 99-The forward violet thus did I chide
Sonnet 100-Where art thou, Muse, that thou forget'st so long
Sonnet 101-O truant Muse, what shall be thy amends
Sonnet 102-My love is strengthen'd, though more weak in seeming;
Sonnet 103-Alack, what poverty my Muse brings forth,
Sonnet 104-To me, fair friend, you never can be old
Sonnet 105-Let not my love be call'd idolatry,
Sonnet 106-When in the chronicle of wasted time
Sonnet 107-Not mine own fears, nor the prophetic soul
Sonnet 108-What's in the brain that ink may character
Sonnet 109-O, never say that I was false of heart
Sonnet 110-Alas, 'tis true I have gone here and there
Sonnet 111-O, for my sake do you with Fortune chide,
Sonnet 112-Your love and pity doth the impression fill
Sonnet 113-Since I left you, mine eye is in my mind;
Sonnet 114-Or whether doth my mind, being crown'd with you,
Sonnet 115-Those lines that I before have writ do lie,
Sonnet 116-Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Sonnet 117-Accuse me thus: that I have scanted all
Sonnet 118-Like as, to make our appetites more keen,
Sonnet 119-What potions have I drunk of Siren tears,
Sonnet 120-That you were once unkind befriends me now,
Sonnet 121-'Tis better to be vile than vile esteem'd,
Sonnet 122-Thy gift, thy tables, are within my brain
Sonnet 123-No, Time, thou shalt not boast that I do change:
Sonnet 124-If my dear love were but the child of state,
Sonnet 125-Were 't aught to me I bore the canopy,
Sonnet 126-O thou, my lovely boy, who in thy power
Sonnet 127-if it were, it bore not beauty's name;
Sonnet 128-oft, when thou, my music, music play'st,
Sonnet 129-The expense of spirit in a waste of shame
Sonnet 130-My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun
Sonnet 131-Thou art as tyrannous, so as thou art,
Sonnet 132-Thine eyes I love, and they, as pitying me,
Sonnet 133-Beshrew that heart that makes my heart to groan
Sonnet 134-So, now I have confess'd that he is thine,
Sonnet 135-Whoever hath her wish, thou hast thy 'Will,'
Sonnet 136-If thy soul cheque thee that I come so near,
Sonnet 137-Thou blind fool, Love, what dost thou to mine eyes,
Sonnet 138-When my love swears that she is made of truth
Sonnet 139-O, call not me to justify the wrong
Sonnet 140-Be wise as thou art cruel; do not press
Sonnet 141-In faith, I do not love thee with mine eyes
Sonnet 142-Love is my sin and thy dear virtue hate
Sonnet 143-Lo! as a careful housewife runs to catch
Sonnet 144-Two loves I have of comfort and despair
Sonnet 145-Those lips that Love's own hand did make
Sonnet 146-Poor soul, the centre of my sinful earth,
Sonnet 147-My love is as a fever, longing still
Sonnet 148-O me, what eyes hath Love put in my head,
Sonnet 149-Canst thou, O cruel! say I love thee not,
Sonnet 150-O, from what power hast thou this powerful might
Sonnet 151-Love is too young to know what conscience is;
Sonnet 152-In loving thee thou know'st I am forsworn,
Sonnet 153-Cupid laid by his brand, and fell asleep:
Sonnet 154-The little Love-god lying once asleep
Sourced from: http://www.shakespeare-online.com/sonnets/
The Sonnets are Shakespeare's most popular works, and a few of them, such as Sonnet 18(Shall I compare thee to a summer's day), Sonnet 116 (Let me not to the marriage of true minds), and Sonnet 73 (That time of year thou mayst in me behold), have become the most widely-read poems in all of English literature. Here you will find the text of each Shakespearean sonnet with commentary for most.
Sonnet 1-From fairest creatures we desire increase
Sonnet 2-When forty winters shall beseige thy brow
Sonnet 3-Look in thy glass, and tell the face thou viewest
Sonnet 4-Unthrifty loveliness, why dost thou spend
Sonnet 5-Those hours, that with gentle work did frame
Sonnet 6-Then let not winter's ragged hand deface
Sonnet 7-Lo! in the orient when the gracious light
Sonnet 8-Music to hear, why hear'st thou music sadly?
Sonnet 9-Is it for fear to wet a widow's eye
Sonnet 10-For shame! deny that thou bear'st love to any,
Sonnet 11-As fast as thou shalt wane, so fast thou growest
Sonnet 12-When I do count the clock that tells the time,
Sonnet 13-O, that you were yourself! but, love, you are
Sonnet 14-Not from the stars do I my judgment pluck
Sonnet 15-When I consider every thing that grows
Sonnet 16-But wherefore do not you a mightier way
Sonnet 17-Who will believe my verse in time to come,
Sonnet 18-Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?
Sonnet 19-Devouring Time, blunt thou the lion's paws
Sonnet 20-A woman's face with Nature's own hand painted
Sonnet 21-So is it not with me as with that Muse
Sonnet 22-My glass shall not persuade me I am old,
Sonnet 23-As an unperfect actor on the stage
Sonnet 24-Mine eye hath play'd the painter and hath stell'd
Sonnet 25-Let those who are in favour with their stars
Sonnet 26-Lord of my love, to whom in vassalage
Sonnet 27-Weary with toil, I haste me to my bed,
Sonnet 28-How can I then return in happy plight,
Sonnet 29-When, in disgrace with fortune and men's eyes
Sonnet 30-When to the sessions of sweet silent thought
Sonnet 31-Thy bosom is endeared with all hearts,
Sonnet 32-If thou survive my well-contented day,
Sonnet 33-Full many a glorious morning have I seen
Sonnet 34-Why didst thou promise such a beauteous day,
Sonnet 35-No more be grieved at that which thou hast done
Sonnet 36-Let me confess that we two must be twain,
Sonnet 37-As a decrepit father takes delight
Sonnet 38-How can my Muse want subject to invent,
Sonnet 39-O, how thy worth with manners may I sing
Sonnet 40-Take all my loves, my love, yea, take them all;
Sonnet 41-Those petty wrongs that liberty commits,
Sonnet 42-That thou hast her, it is not all my grief,
Sonnet 43-When most I wink, then do mine eyes best see,
Sonnet 44-If the dull substance of my flesh were thought
Sonnet 45-The other two, slight air and purging fire,
Sonnet 46-Mine eye and heart are at a mortal war
Sonnet 47-Betwixt mine eye and heart a league is took
Sonnet 48-How careful was I, when I took my way,
Sonnet 49-Against that time, if ever that time come,
Sonnet 50-How heavy do I journey on the way,
Sonnet 51-Thus can my love excuse the slow offence
Sonnet 52-So am I as the rich, whose blessed key
Sonnet 53-What is your substance, whereof are you made,
Sonnet 54-O, how much more doth beauty beauteous seem
Sonnet 55-Not marble, nor the gilded monuments
Sonnet 56-Sweet love, renew thy force; be it not said
Sonnet 57-Being your slave, what should I do but tend
Sonnet 58-That god forbid that made me first your slave
Sonnet 59-If there be nothing new, but that which is
Sonnet 60-Like as the waves make towards the pebbled shore,
Sonnet 61-Is it thy will thy image should keep open
Sonnet 62-Sin of self-love possesseth all mine eye
Sonnet 63-Against my love shall be, as I am now,
Sonnet 64-When I have seen by Time's fell hand defaced
Sonnet 65-Since brass, nor stone, nor earth, nor boundless sea
Sonnet 66-Tired with all these, for restful death I cry,
Sonnet 67-Ah! wherefore with infection should he live,
Sonnet 68-Thus is his cheek the map of days outworn,
Sonnet 69-Those parts of thee that the world's eye doth view
Sonnet 70-That thou art blamed shall not be thy defect,
Sonnet 71-No longer mourn for me when I am dead
Sonnet 72-O, lest the world should task you to recite
Sonnet 73-That time of year thou mayst in me behold
Sonnet 74-But be contented: when that fell arrest
Sonnet 75-So are you to my thoughts as food to life
Sonnet 76-Why is my verse so barren of new pride,
Sonnet 77-Thy glass will show thee how thy beauties wear,
Sonnet 78-So oft have I invoked thee for my Muse
Sonnet 79-Whilst I alone did call upon thy aid,
Sonnet 80-O, how I faint when I of you do write
Sonnet 81-Or I shall live your epitaph to make,
Sonnet 82-I grant thou wert not married to my Muse
Sonnet 83-I never saw that you did painting need
Sonnet 84-Who is it that says most? which can say more
Sonnet 85-My tongue -tied Muse in manners holds her still,
Sonnet 86-Was it the proud full sail of his great verse,
Sonnet 87-Farewell! thou art too dear for my possessing,
Sonnet 88-When thou shalt be disposed to set me light,
Sonnet 89-Say that thou didst forsake me for some fault,
Sonnet 90-Then hate me when thou wilt; if ever, now;
Sonnet 91-Some glory in their birth, some in their skill,
Sonnet 92-But do thy worst to steal thyself away,
Sonnet 93-So shall I live, supposing thou art true
Sonnet 94-They that have power to hurt and will do none,
Sonnet 95-How sweet and lovely dost thou make the shame
Sonnet 96-Some say thy fault is youth, some wantonness;
Sonnet 97-How like a winter hath my absence been
Sonnet 98-From you have I been absent in the spring,
Sonnet 99-The forward violet thus did I chide
Sonnet 100-Where art thou, Muse, that thou forget'st so long
Sonnet 101-O truant Muse, what shall be thy amends
Sonnet 102-My love is strengthen'd, though more weak in seeming;
Sonnet 103-Alack, what poverty my Muse brings forth,
Sonnet 104-To me, fair friend, you never can be old
Sonnet 105-Let not my love be call'd idolatry,
Sonnet 106-When in the chronicle of wasted time
Sonnet 107-Not mine own fears, nor the prophetic soul
Sonnet 108-What's in the brain that ink may character
Sonnet 109-O, never say that I was false of heart
Sonnet 110-Alas, 'tis true I have gone here and there
Sonnet 111-O, for my sake do you with Fortune chide,
Sonnet 112-Your love and pity doth the impression fill
Sonnet 113-Since I left you, mine eye is in my mind;
Sonnet 114-Or whether doth my mind, being crown'd with you,
Sonnet 115-Those lines that I before have writ do lie,
Sonnet 116-Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Sonnet 117-Accuse me thus: that I have scanted all
Sonnet 118-Like as, to make our appetites more keen,
Sonnet 119-What potions have I drunk of Siren tears,
Sonnet 120-That you were once unkind befriends me now,
Sonnet 121-'Tis better to be vile than vile esteem'd,
Sonnet 122-Thy gift, thy tables, are within my brain
Sonnet 123-No, Time, thou shalt not boast that I do change:
Sonnet 124-If my dear love were but the child of state,
Sonnet 125-Were 't aught to me I bore the canopy,
Sonnet 126-O thou, my lovely boy, who in thy power
Sonnet 127-if it were, it bore not beauty's name;
Sonnet 128-oft, when thou, my music, music play'st,
Sonnet 129-The expense of spirit in a waste of shame
Sonnet 130-My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun
Sonnet 131-Thou art as tyrannous, so as thou art,
Sonnet 132-Thine eyes I love, and they, as pitying me,
Sonnet 133-Beshrew that heart that makes my heart to groan
Sonnet 134-So, now I have confess'd that he is thine,
Sonnet 135-Whoever hath her wish, thou hast thy 'Will,'
Sonnet 136-If thy soul cheque thee that I come so near,
Sonnet 137-Thou blind fool, Love, what dost thou to mine eyes,
Sonnet 138-When my love swears that she is made of truth
Sonnet 139-O, call not me to justify the wrong
Sonnet 140-Be wise as thou art cruel; do not press
Sonnet 141-In faith, I do not love thee with mine eyes
Sonnet 142-Love is my sin and thy dear virtue hate
Sonnet 143-Lo! as a careful housewife runs to catch
Sonnet 144-Two loves I have of comfort and despair
Sonnet 145-Those lips that Love's own hand did make
Sonnet 146-Poor soul, the centre of my sinful earth,
Sonnet 147-My love is as a fever, longing still
Sonnet 148-O me, what eyes hath Love put in my head,
Sonnet 149-Canst thou, O cruel! say I love thee not,
Sonnet 150-O, from what power hast thou this powerful might
Sonnet 151-Love is too young to know what conscience is;
Sonnet 152-In loving thee thou know'st I am forsworn,
Sonnet 153-Cupid laid by his brand, and fell asleep:
Sonnet 154-The little Love-god lying once asleep
Sourced from: http://www.shakespeare-online.com/sonnets/