How often do the expression “for goodness sake”? “In my heart of hearts” or All that glitters is not gold” come to mind?
William Shakespeare is most known for his plays, but he also wrote poetry that has become a staple in homes and even on school curricula. Shakespeare famously employed the four-line stanza or three-quatrain construction with a couplet at the end in nearly all 154 of his sonnets that were published in 1609, giving rise to the term “Shakespearean Sonnet”
Venus and Adonis
Shakespeare's narrative poem a minor epic, was perhaps the first of his poems to be published. It tells the tale of Venus, the Roman goddess of love and Adonis from Greek mythology. Venus attempts to woo the highly attractive man after becoming captivated by him, but she is unsuccessful because Adonis is more interested in hunting. Venus is rejected and she swoons, Venus is revived after Adonis kisses her, worrying that he has murdered her. Despite Venus's vision of Adonis being murdered by a wild boar, he goes hunting the very following day. When the prediction comes true, Venus is devastated. There will always be dread, scepticism and misery when humans fall in love as a result of her destruction.
Seven Ages of Man
This well-known poem about the wheel of life is recited by the character Jaques in the comedy As You Like It, act two, scene seven. He compares the many stages of life to plays that are performed by people who are performers in their own lives with varied roles to play. He describes life as a stage and every person has seven plays, according to the poem and each one is explained with instances of behaviours that men frequently exhibit during their lifetimes.
The Rape of Lucrece
The terrible story of Sextus Tarquinius, the King’s son, raping an ancient Roman woman named Lucretia and the results are told in this long narrative poem of 1,855 lines. Following the incident, Lucretia committed suicide, and this sparked an uprising that helped convert ancient Rome from a monarchy to a republic in 509 BCE.
Sonnet 116: Let me not to the marriage of true minds
One of the most well-known and frequently quoted love poems is a sonnet. Shakespeare asserts in the sonnet that real love is the north star by which people are guided despite the passage of time and the challenges people confront.
Shakespeare’s writings are ageless since they serve as inspiration for numerous modern plays, films and television shows, agreed?
