Wit and Wisdom of Shakespeare (eBook)

Darrel Walters, a former public school teacher and university professor with a Ph.D. from The University of Michigan, has published books on writing skills and assessment techniques, and written poetry for both children and adults. He presents poetry programs in various venues, and his intense interest in the sonnets of Shakespeare has prompted him to make The Sonnets eminently accessible to readers of all ages.

Forward PrefaceAcknowledgementsChapter One: The Sonnets of William Shakespeare Background and Perspective The Sonnet Format The Organization of This Book Suggestions for Using This Book Chapter Two: Living Life’s SpanSonnet 2Your youthful beauty will fade, but you can duplicate it by having a child Sonnet 50Journeys oppress me with the miles they put between us Sonnet 66Human frailties irk me; your love is my only consolation Sonnet 30Your presence, dear friend, salves my many mid-life regrets Sonnet 60Time passes cruelly for all, but I leave to posterity high praise for you Sonnet 73My advanced age shortens our time left together, making your love for me more strong Sonnet 74After my body is gone, the best of me will remain with you in my verse Chapter Three: Seeing the Unseen Sonnet 47My eye and heart work together to keep you present even when you are away Sonnet 27When I travel I recall your image to beautify the darkness of night Sonnet 61When you travel, I recall your image and worry about who you are withSonnet 113When you and I are apart, I superimpose your image on everything Sonnet 43I see best while asleep, as that is when my dreams show you to me Sonnet 24I carry your image in my heart, but I need you to reveal your inner self Chapter Four: Declaring Devotion Sonnet 76My writing lacks variety only because you are my sole subject Sonnet 91What others covet means nothing to me: you are everything Sonnet 143I will support your surging ambitions, and in return ask only for love and kindness Sonnet 29Though I am lowly, your love is so rich that I rejoice in being me and having you Sonnet 37Fortune has failed to smile on me, so I live life vicariously through you Sonnet 116With apologies to those who already know, I preach of the unwavering nature of true love Chapter Five: Managing RelationshipsSonnet 128I am infatuated with you, and long for your touch Sonnet 80I pursue you in desperate hope of overcoming the competition Sonnet 109My absence has damaged our relationship, but you need to know that you mean everything to meSonnet 20Your fineness suggests that Mother Nature intended you for a woman, but changed her mind Sonnet 115When I first wrote of my love for you I was naïve about how much it would continue to grow Sonnet 90If you will hate me and leave me, do it now rather than add to later woes Sonnet 147I am enslaved by a sick, destructive love that has chased away all reasonChapter Six: Keeping Beauty AliveSonnet 15I restore to you through my verse what Time takes from you through decaySonnet 55Through my verse you will outlive grand structures and inspire posterity’s loversSonnet 54When your outer beauty fades, my verse will testify to your inner substanceSonnet 17My verse lauding your beauty will be lent credibility by your having a child Sonnet 65If time batters all things, how can fragile beauty survive? Through my verseSonnet 18Other beauty fades, but my verse will keep yours alive forever References Index