CliffsNotes Shakespeare's Sonnets

The original CliffsNotes study guides offer expert commentary on major themes, plots, characters, literary devices, and historical background. The latest generation of titles in this series also feature glossaries and visual elements that complement the classic, familiar format.

In CliffsNotes on Shakespeare's Sonnets, you explore the significance of William Shakespeare's 154 sonnets -- a sequence of poems that have solidified the Bard's reputation as one of the greatest poets ever. In these sonnets, Shakespeare writes of the trials and triumphs of love, and you meet three of the most mysterious literary characters ever: The Fair Young Man, The Dark Lady, and The Rival Poet.

Critical essays help you understand the history of the sonnet, as well as how the sonnets relate to Shakespeare's plays. Other features that help you study include

• Analyses of The Fair Young Man, The Dark Lady, and The Rival Poet
• Discussions of the sonnets' dominate themes
• Criticism of individual sonnets
• A section of review questions
• A selected bibliography

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