Shakespeare's sonnets

'Shakespeare's Sonnets' have caused endless debate and speculation: who is the dark lady; who is the 'only begetter'; and, what light do the poems shed on the life of the poet?

Yet the sonnets themselves can be enjoyed for their lyricism rather than their intention.

Written as a form of personal confession - of love, of grief, of anger, of jealousy and of lust - the sonnets encompass a huge range of human emotion beautifully expressed within the restrictions of the form.

Some, such as "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day" or "Let me not to the marriage of true minds" will be instantly familiar to readers, while others, equally rich in imagery, are less well known.

Together they form a powerful meditation on the nature of love, marriage, beauty and time.