Shakespeare's Sonnets - A Slow Read #12

This is the twelfth in a series of single session studies on Shakespeare’s Sonnets. Participants are welcome to join as few or many sessions as they please.

For centuries, critics have debated the identity of Shakespeare’s poetic rival, depicted in the sonnets as a celebrated writer competing for the equally mysterious Fair Youth’s patronage and affection. Leading candidates include Christopher Marlowe, George Chapman and Edmund Spenser, though he may represent a composite of rivals. He vanishes from the sonnets as abruptly as he appears. In this twelfth standalone session, we’ll examine two of the nine “rival poet” sonnets alongside an earlier sonnet addressed directly to the beloved.  

The sonnets have always inspired, fascinated and disturbed readers. Are these lyric expressions of tortured love – among other themes – the key to understanding the mysterious life of Shakespeare, or are they not autobiographical at all?

Through close analysis and hands-on interpretive work, we will examine Shakespeare’s kaleidoscopic exploration of his speaker’s romantic and tortured feelings and experiences.

JOINING DETAILS:

• Single two-hour meeting led by Dr Julie Sutherland on Zoom
• Wednesday 24 June 2026, 5.00 – 7.00 pm (BST)
• Session #12 – Sonnets 79, 86 and 87
• £30.00 for two-hour study

We are offering these self-contained, individual studies of Shakespeare’s sonnets in a workshop style setting. Over time we will cover a broad selection of the 154 sonnets that comprise Shakespeare’s celebrated sequence. Participants are invited to join as few or many sessions as they please.

Before the session, Julie Sutherland will send links to online versions or attach specific copies for discussion. It is highly recommended that you print these off before joining this hands-on session. If you have a printed edition, please also have it ready so we can consider variations between texts. Have a notebook and pencil on hand as well!

REDUCED COSTS: we are committed to making our studies as affordable as possible. We have a fund in place to support anyone who would like to register for a study but finds the cost difficult to afford. We can’t promise to help, but please email us at litsalon@gmail.com in confidence if you would like to request a reduction in the cost of a study.