The Cambridge Introduction to Shakespeare's Poetry (Cambridge Introductions to Literature)

Shakespeare's Poems, Aside From The Enduring Appeal Of The Sonnets, Are Much Less Familiar Today Than His Plays, Despite Being Enormously Popular In His Lifetime. This Introduction Celebrates The Achievement Of Shakespeare As A Poet, Providing Students With Ways Of Understanding And Enjoying His Remarkable Poems. It Honours The Aesthetic And Intellectual Complexity Of The Poems Without Making Them Seem Unapproachably Complicated, Outlining Their Exquisite Pleasures And Absorbing Enigmas. Schoenfeldt Suggests That Today's Readers Are Better Able To Analyze Aspects Of The Poems That Were Formerly Ignored Or The Source Of Scandal - The Articulation Of A Fervent Same-sex Love, For Example, Or The Incipient Racism Inherent In A Hierarchy Of Light And Dark. By Engaging Closely With Shakespeare's Major Poems - 'venus And Adonis', 'lucrece', 'the Phoenix And The Turtle', The Sonnets And 'a Lover's Complaint' - The Introduction Demonstrates How Much These Extraordinary Poems Still Have To Say To Us-- Shakespeare And English Poetry -- Shakespeare's Banquet Of Sense: 'venus And Adonis' -- Constraint And Complaint In 'lucrece' -- Mysteries Of The Sonnets: Dedication, Publication, Sequence, Characters -- Time And Mortality In The Sonnets -- Friendship And Love, Darkness And Lust: Desire In The Sonnets -- Solitary And Mutual Flames: 'a Lover's Complaint' And 'the Phoenix And Turtle' -- Fantasies Of Shakespearean Authorship. Michael Schoenfeldt. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 152-156) And Index. Half-title 3 Title 5 Copyright 6 Contents 7 Acknowledgments 9 Chapter 1 Shakespeare and English poetry 11 Versification and meter 14 Shakespeare and early modern poetry 21 Chapter 2 Shakespeare’s banquet of sense 29 Carnal and verbal pleasure 31 Wordplay and foreplay 34 Love and lust 41 The death of Adonis and the birth of erotic unhappiness 44 Chapter 3 Constraint and complaint in Lucrece 48 Tarquin and predatory lust 50 Lucrece: resistance and complaint 56 Founding the Roman republic 64 Chapter 4 Mysteries of the Sonnets 67 Publication and dedication 67 The temptations of autobiography and sequence 70 Characters and reception 74 Chapter 5 Time and mortality in the Sonnets 79 Time and progeny 79 Time and poetry 86 Time and love 90 Time and the afterlife 94 Chapter 6 Friendship and love, darkness and lust 98 The master-mistress: Sonnet 20 100 The marriage of true minds: Sonnet 116 102 Olympian restraint: Sonnet 94 106 The Dark Lady 108 Love and appetite 113 Love and disease 115 Chapter 7 Solitary and mutual flames 122 A Lover’s Complaint 123 “The Phoenix and Turtle” 132 Chapter 8 Fantasies of Shakespearean authorship 140 The Passionate Pilgrim 142 John Benson, editor 144 Occasional verse 145 Passionate pilgrims: “Shall I die?” and the Funeral Elegy 150 Notes 154 1 Shakespeare and English poetry 154 2 Shakespeare’s banquet of sense: Venus and Adonis 154 3 Constraint and complaint in Lucrece 155 4 Mysteries of the Sonnets 156 5 Time and mortality in the Sonnets 157 6 Friendship and love, darkness and lust: desire in the Sonnets 158 7 Solitary and mutual flames: A Lover’s Complaint and “The Phoenix and Turtle” 159 8 Fantasies of Shakespearean authorship 160 Further reading 162 Editions of Shakespeare’s poems 162 Biographies of Shakespeare 162 Works on Shakespeare’s poetry 163 Works on Shakespeare’s Sonnets 163 Works on Venus and Adonis 164 Works on Lucrece 164 Works on A Lover’s Complaint and “The Phoenix and Turtle” 165 Works on Shakespeare the poet, his reputation, and his influence 166 Internet resources for studying Shakespeare 166 Index 167 "Shakespeare's poems, aside from the enduring appeal of the Sonnets, are much less familiar today than his plays, despite being enormously popular in his lifetime. This Introduction celebrates the achievement of Shakespeare as a poet, providing students with ways of understanding and enjoying his remarkable poems. It honours the aesthetic and intellectual complexity of the poems without making them seem unapproachably complicated, outlining their exquisite pleasures and absorbing enigmas. Schoenfeldt suggests that today's readers are better able to analyze aspects of the poems that were formerly ignored or the source of scandal - the articulation of a fervent same-sex love, for example, or the incipient racism inherent in a hierarchy of light and dark. By engaging closely with Shakespeare's major poems - 'Venus and Adonis', 'Lucrece', 'The Phoenix and the Turtle', the Sonnets and 'A Lover's Complaint' - the Introduction demonstrates how much these extraordinary poems still have to say to us"-- Résumé de l'éditeur "Shakespeare's poems, aside from the enduring appeal of the Sonnets, are much less familiar today than his plays, despite being enormously popular in his lifetime. This Introduction celebrates the achievement of Shakespeare as a poet, providing students with ways of understanding and enjoying his remarkable poems. It honours the aesthetic and intellectual complexity of the poems without making them seem unapproachably complicated, outlining their exquisite pleasures and absorbing enigmas. Schoenfeldt suggests that today's readers are better able to analyze aspects of the poems that were formerly ignored or the source of scandal - the articulation of a fervent same-sex love, for example, or the incipient racism inherent in a hierarchy of light and dark. By engaging closely with Shakespeare's major poems - 'Venus and Adonis', 'Lucrece', 'The Phoenix and the Turtle', the Sonnets and 'A Lover's Complaint' - the Introduction demonstrates how much these extraordinary poems still have to say to us"--Provided by publisher. "Shakespeare's poems, aside from the enduring appeal of the Sonnets, are much less familiar today than his plays, despite being enormously popular in his lifetime. This Introduction celebrates the achievement of Shakespeare as a poet, providing students with ways of understanding and enjoying his remarkable poems. It honours the aesthetic and intellectual complexity of the poems without making them seem unapproachably complicated, outlining their exquisite pleasures and absorbing enigmas. Schoenfeldt suggests that today's readers are better able to analyze aspects of the poems that were formerly ignored or the source of scandal - the articulation of a fervent same-sex love, for example, or the incipient racism inherent in a hierarchy of light and dark. By engaging closely with Shakespeare's major poems - 'Venus and Adonis', 'Lucrece', 'The Phoenix and the Turtle', the Sonnets and 'A Lover's Complaint' - the Introduction demonstrates how much these extraordinary poems still have to say to us"-- Provided by publisher Machine generated contents note: 1. Shakespeare and English poetry; 2. Shakespeare's banquet of sense: 'Venus and Adonis'; 3. 'My tongue shall utter all': constraint and complaint in 'Lucrece'; 4. Mysteries of the Sonnets; 5. 'All in war with time': progeny, poetry, and entropy in the Sonnets; 6. Friendship and love, darkness and lust: desire in the Sonnets; 7. Solitary and mutual flames: 'A Lover's Complaint' and 'The Phoenix and the Turtle'; 8. Passionate pilgrims: fantasies of Shakespearean authorship; Further reading. A comprehensive guide to the pleasures and challenges of reading Shakespeare's poetry, this volume outlines the poems' complexity while making them accessible. Emphasizing the whole poetic corpus, not just the Sonnets, it addresses the many approaches and contexts available for reading the poems, and includes exemplary readings of individual poems.