The Role of the Fool in Shakespearean Drama
Shakespeare's fools are the plays' most privileged speakers — the only characters licensed to say what everyone else knows but cannot say aloud.
Read the Analysis ›“Nothing will come of nothing.”
King Lear
Sonnet 7: Lo! in the Orient When the Gracious Light
Shakespeare turns the sun’s daily arc into an argument about reputation, decline, and the necessity of a son.…
The Fair Youth Sonnets: Who Was He?
The Fair Youth is the unnamed young man addressed in the first 126 sonnets. He is beautiful, admired,…
Iambic Pentameter: A Complete Guide
Iambic pentameter is the rhythmic pattern underlying most of Shakespeare's plays and all of his sonnets. Once you…
The Dark Lady Sonnets: Who Was She?
The Dark Lady is the unnamed woman addressed in Sonnets 127–154. She is unfaithful, sexually compelling, and described…
What Is a Shakespearean Sonnet?
A Shakespearean sonnet is a fourteen-line poem in iambic pentameter, following a specific rhyme scheme and structure that…
Sonnet 6: Then Let Not Winter’s Ragged Hand Deface
Sonnet 6 presses the urgency of Sonnet 5 to its logical conclusion — if beauty must be preserved,…