Shakespeare's Sonnets (Arden Shakespeare: Third Series) [Paperback]

William Shakespeare (Author), Katherine Duncan-Jones (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 21, 1997

'The annotation is consistently thoughtful and well judged, giving plenty of precise help with lexical and syntactical problems, and offering valuable verbal and cultural analogues from contemporary literature' 'No edition of these difficult and controversial poems will command agreement at all points, but this must now be the edition of first resort' Paul Hammond, Review of English Studies 'sharpens our focus on the documentary record of the Sonnets, and gives the best scholarly account yet of some of its words.' Alastair Fowler, Times Literary Supplement "The new edition...edited by Katherine Duncan-Jones, is the clearest, most complete and up-to-date there is. She is the first editor for general readers not to mumble when dealing with the homoerotic aspect. Under her meticulous direction, the sequence opens out like a magical garden, its beauties enhanced, its mysterious prospects illuminated." Duncan Fallowell, The Independent Â'It is Duncan-JonesÂ's intention as scholar and critic to confront the issue of sexuality which Kerrigan and other editors have consistently side-stepped...Hers is an edition which uniquely makes the Sonnets issue from the bodyÂ's moods as well as the mindÂ's.Â' Tom Paulin, London Review of Books Â'This new edition, handsome, crisp in annotation, and rich in historical detail, shows that the Sonnets are effectively ShakespeareÂ's lifeÂ's work...Its most radical claim is not the familiar one that the poems are homosexual, but that Shakespeare authorised their publication.Â' Evening Standard

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 9-Up The simplicity and elegance of Shakespeare's lyric poetry is apparent in this audio rendition. All 154 sonnets are read in order, each one identified by its number which corresponds with the CD track number, making it easy to locate a particular choice. This form of poetry is characterized by 14 lines of rhymed, iambic pentameter in a scheme of three quatrains followed by a couplet. British narrator, David Butler, reads the sonnets as the form dictates, recognizing the endstops and adjusting his tone to the turn of the couplet. His voice is liltingly romantic with a limited range of emotion. In an afterward, Butler explains how the first 126 sonnets are addressed to a young man, in general, and the last two addressed to Cupid. The "dark lady" of the other sonnets is a mystery as is the person or patron for whom the collection was written. This information is fascinating, and students would benefit by listening to it first. There is no pause or analysis between sonnets and no accompanying text, suggesting that teachers will best use the CDs as an audio reference. Shakespeare's well-loved verse is in an ideal format for teachers to use as a class resource.
Vicki Reutter, Cazenovia High School, NY
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Since we will never hear tapes of Keats or Shakespeare reading, and several recordings by actors exist (e.g., John Keats: Selected Poems, Blackstone Audio, 1993; Sonnets by William Shakespeare, Recorded Bks., 1990), we must judge these tapes by the actors' performances. In John Keats: Poems, Douglas Dodge modulates his voice beautifully to capture the slightly varied emotions of many poems. This well-edited recording contains Keats's most famous works: "La Belle Dame Sans Merci," "The Eve of St. Agnes," "Ode to a Nightingale," "On a Grecian Urn," along with many lesser-known short poems such as "To Mrs. Reynolds' Cat" that exhibit the poet's more fanciful side. Reading all of Shakespeare's sonnets written between 1593 and 1601, actor Simon Callow conveys the dramatic potential not often recognizable in other recordings. With the exception of a few sonnets addressing the muse, anyone unfamiliar with Shakespeare's works could easily believe these were selected monologs from various plays. Pausing briefly between poems, Callow's tone shifts enough to create new characterizations for every sonnet. Both tapes are recommended for smaller collections and essential for larger ones.
Rochelle Ratner, formerly Poetry Editor, "Soho Weekly News," New York
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 504 pages
• Publisher: Arden Shakespeare; 3rd edition (August 21, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1903436575
• ISBN-13: 978-1903436578
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #202,618 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Full of life, September 17, 2000

By 

C. Fletcher (California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Shakespeare's Sonnets (Folger Library General Reader's Shakespeare) (Mass Market Paperback)

I read these sonnets two a day over the summer, and I wish there were more than 154 of them so I could keep going into the fall. I think I'll pick up "The Tempest" next.

The poetry in this volume is beautiful, equisite and full of passion. What makes Shakespeare worth reading is the way he lets the world into his lines. His metaphors appeal deliciously to the senses, like a beam of sunlight through a high window in the afternoon, or the smell of a new cut lawn in the spring. Shakespeare's writing is immortal, not because a conspiracy of teachers got together and decided it should be, but because it is full of life, and nothing that is full of life can really ever die.

If you're not used to reading Elizabthean English or are put off by the thought of Shakespeare, this is a good place to start. This edition helpfully "translates" each sonnet into modern English on a facing page along with definitions for the more troubling words. Even with the help, I still don't think Shakespeare is all that easy to read. But anything you do in this world that makes you feel more passionate about life is a pretty good thing. If you give Shakespeare some of your time, he's bound to pay you back with plenty of interest.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent edition, May 26, 2006

By 

Brighton Funny (Ann Arbor, MI) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Shakespeare's Sonnets (Arden Shakespeare: Third Series) (Paperback)

I recently used the Arden edition of the Sonnets in a graduate level course on Renaissance literature. It's useful, too, to have Helen Vendler's "Art of the Sonnet," as well as the Penguin edition (fewer notes than the Arden). Quite simply, the Arden excels in the scholarly apparatus. Also, for a concise, readable supplement, include Greenblatt's "Will in the World" (the chapter on the sonnets). But for a close study of the sonnets, if you need a single edition, Arden is terrific.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Introduction is worth the price of the book, ten times the price, February 6, 2007

By 

J. Gage (Setauket, NY) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Shakespeare's Sonnets (Arden Shakespeare: Third Series) (Paperback)

Ms. Duncan-Jones' Introduction is an extraordinary example of scholarship. To say that the Sonnets have been controversial throughout the time since their publication is a mild understatement. Ms. Duncan-Jones casts a brilliant and unwavering spotlight on these controversies and resolves them.

Any serious student of Shakespeare must read this Introduction.

If there is a failing in the book, it is in the actual footnotes to the Sonnets themselves. But in the context of Booth's footnotes, for example, this failing is insignificant. Anyone who wants a line-by-line exegesis of the Sonnets has many resources available.

Go get this book and read the Introduction!