OSHER 34 - Shakespeare: The Sonnets

Shakespeare's compositional power was in his ability to confer greater mental scope on any aspect of the human imagination. In 1609, 154 of his poems were published as Shakespeare's Sonnets. They dealt with three main subjects: the "fair youth;" the "dark lady" and "the other poet." We will examine one quarter to one third of the sonnets, reading them aloud in class while discussing their structure and both apparent and hidden meanings.