The bard's sonnets read by a leading actor of stage and screen Simon Callow.Savor the most celebrated love poems in the English language. Written almost 400 years ago, the sonnets of William Shakespeare are passionate and exalted, rich in imagery and alliteration, and full of mystery and intrigue.This selection presents all 154 sonnets composed from 1593-1601. In words and rhyme, he reveals his infatuation with the "Dark Lady," his relationship with a rival poet, and his private thoughts on love, death, beauty, and truth: timeless themes that span the centuries to touch our hearts today.
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"A new literary project - to learn all 154 of Shakespeare's sonnets by heart. Yes, it's both ridiculous and ambitious. And it's gonna take 3 years.Sonnets 18, 29, 116, 109, 87, 147, 94, 130, 129, 43 all in the bag.120 up next. " — Alex (5 out of 5 stars)
"A new literary project - to learn all 154 of Shakespeare's sonnets by heart. Yes, it's both ridiculous and ambitious. And it's gonna take 3 years.Sonnets 18, 29, 116, 109, 87, 147, 94, 130, 129, 43 all in the bag.120 up next. "
" Never been a big fan of shakespeare...reading this as prep for Literature CLEP test...:) "
" Supreme. Poetry at its' deepest hardcore! "
" The sonnets are, of course, gorgeous and incredible - that doesn't change no matter what edition you read.The annotations, however, do make a difference, and in the Arden sonnets they are excellent: "
" this is a great read for everyone! "
" my love is as a fever "
" He really liked to use the word love. It is interesting how he says that fire rhymes with desire.A lot of references on performance and plays too.He probably doesn't care about food. "
" Nobody writes poetry like this anymore. (Except for that guy who tried to ask me out by writing me poetry like this, and I thought he was a freak, so maybe I should eat my own words.) "
" Anyone who loves English literature needs to read a good, critical edition of Shakespeare's Sonnets (I suggest the edition edited by Stephen Booth). "
" The sonnets of William Shakespeare were inspiring, poetic, witty, and romantic. Four and a half stars. "
William Shakespeare (1564–1616), English poet and dramatist of the Elizabethan and early Jacobean period, is the most widely known author in all of English literature and often considered the greatest. He was an active member of a theater company for at least twenty years, during which time he wrote many great plays. Plays were not prized as literature at the time and Shakespeare was not widely read until the middle of the eighteenth century, when a great upsurge of interest in his works began that continues today.
Simon Callow is an actor, director, and writer. He has appeared in many films, including Four Weddings and a Funeral. He made his stage debut in 1973 and came to prominence in a critically acclaimed performance as Mozart in the original stage production of Peter Shaffer’s Amadeus at the Royal National Theatre in 1979. He is well known for a series of one-man shows that have toured internationally and featured subjects including Charles Dickens, Oscar Wilde, Shakespeare, Jesus, and Richard Wagner. His books include, among others, a highly acclaimed biography of Charles Laughton, a biographical trilogy on Orson Welles, and My Life in Pieces, which won the Sheridan Morley Prize in 2011.
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