The Complete Sonnets and Poems (Oxford Shakespeare) [Paperback]

William Shakespeare (Author), Colin Burrow (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 019281933X | ISBN-13: 978-0192819338 | Publication Date: July 18, 2002 | Edition: annotated edition

This is the only fully annotated and modernized edition to bring together Shakespeare's sonnets as well as all his poems (including those attributed to him after his death) in one volume. A full introduction discusses his development as a poet, and how the poems relate to the plays, and detailed notes explain the language and allusions. While accessibly written, the edition takes account of the most recent scholarship and criticism.

Editorial Reviews

Review

`'it was a brilliant idea to produce the narrative poems and sonnets as a single edition....[Burrow's] book-length introduction [is] the best study there is of Shakespeare as a poet.' 'if the bookshelf had room for only one edition of Shakespeare's poems, Burrow's would be the one'' Stephen Orgel, London Review of Books

`'it is a superb edition, beautifully conceived, learned, intelligent, generous, judicious; but most impressive in the way it locates Shakespeare's poems in relation to each other and to his career.' ' Stephen Orgel

`'lucid, acute, to the point, and often amusing . . . a distinguished addition to a distinguished series.'' Henry Woudhuysen, Times Literary Supplement

`'Colin Burrow's good sense, tact and balance as an editor are deeply impressive.'' Henry Woudhuysen, Times Literary Supplement

`the best edition of these (mostly) cracking poems' Evening Standard

About the Author

Colin Burrow is a University Senior Lecturer and a Fellow and Tutor of Gonville and Caius College, University of Cambridge.

Product Details

• Paperback: 768 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA; annotated edition edition (July 18, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 019281933X
• ISBN-13: 978-0192819338
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 4.8 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #678,371 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon in April 1564, and his birth is traditionally celebrated on April 23. The facts of his life, known from surviving documents, are sparse. He was one of eight children born to John Shakespeare, a merchant of some standing in his community. William probably went to the King's New School in Stratford, but he had no university education. In November 1582, at the age of eighteen, he married Anne Hathaway, eight years his senior, who was pregnant with their first child, Susanna. She was born on May 26, 1583. Twins, a boy, Hamnet ( who would die at age eleven), and a girl, Judith, were born in 1585. By 1592 Shakespeare had gone to London working as an actor and already known as a playwright. A rival dramatist, Robert Greene, referred to him as "an upstart crow, beautified with our feathers." Shakespeare became a principal shareholder and playwright of the successful acting troupe, the Lord Chamberlain's Men (later under James I, called the King's Men). In 1599 the Lord Chamberlain's Men built and occupied the Globe Theater in Southwark near the Thames River. Here many of Shakespeare's plays were performed by the most famous actors of his time, including Richard Burbage, Will Kempe, and Robert Armin. In addition to his 37 plays, Shakespeare had a hand in others, including Sir Thomas More and The Two Noble Kinsmen, and he wrote poems, including Venus and Adonis and The Rape of Lucrece. His 154 sonnets were published, probably without his authorization, in 1609. In 1611 or 1612 he gave up his lodgings in London and devoted more and more time to retirement in Stratford, though he continued writing such plays as The Tempest and Henry VII until about 1613. He died on April 23 1616, and was buried in Holy Trinity Church, Stratford. No collected edition of his plays was published during his life-time, but in 1623 two members of his acting company, John Heminges and Henry Condell, put together the great collection now called the First Folio.

Customer Reviews

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19 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb!, July 7, 2005

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Dr. Richard M. Waugaman (Chevy Chase, MD USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Complete Sonnets and Poems (Oxford Shakespeare) (Paperback)

This is a wonderful edition of Shakespeare's poetry, which has been neglected as the preponderance of attention is devoted to his plays. Colin Burrow is a breath-takingly fine scholar, who modestly and unobtrusively shares his immense learning to greatly enrich our reading of Shakespeare's poetry.