Introduction to Shakespearian Sonnets
Composition, Publication, and Origins Shakespeare’s sonnets were likely composed over a period of several years, primarily between 1592 and 1598, appearing long before their official publication. Initially, they were circulated privately among his friends. It is important to note that these poems were not included in the famous First Folio of 1623, which was reserved for his plays. Instead, the authoritative collection of the sonnets was published in a Quarto edition in 1609 by the publisher Thomas Thorpe. While a few isolated sonnets had appeared earlier in a collection called The Passionate Pilgrim in 1599, the 1609 Quarto remains the primary source for the 154 sonnets we study today. Development of the Form and Structure The sonnet form originally developed in Italy under Petrarch, featuring an octave (eight lines) and a sestet (six lines) structure. It was introduced to England by Sir Thomas Wyatt and the Earl of Surrey in the 16th century. Shakespeare adapted this form to suit the...