The author & his work. Biography of William Shakespeare ; Shakespeare the poet ; Introduction to Shakespeare's sonnets ; The lasting allure of Shakespeare's sonnets

Historical & literary contexts. English poetry in the sixteenth century ; Does Shakespeare's life matter? ; The sins of the sonnets ; Shakespeare (not?) our contemporary: his sonnets and more recent examples

Close readings of 25 sonnets. Sonnet 1 ; Sonnet 18 ; Sonnet 19 ; Sonnet 20 ; Sonnet 29 ; Sonnet 30 ; Sonnet 31 ; Sonnet 53 ; Sonnet 54 ; Sonnet 57 ; Sonnet 73 ; Sonnet 90 ; Sonnet 94 ; Sonnet 97 ; Sonnet 98 ; Sonnet 102 ; Sonnet 104 ; Sonnet 106 ; Sonnet 109 ; Sonnet 116 ; Sonnet 129 ; Sonnet 130 ; Sonnet 141 ; Sonnet 146 ; Sonnet 151

Critical readings 1: Form & technique. The form of Shakespeare's sonnets ; Vocabulary and chronology: the case of Shakespeare's sonnets ; Sound and meaning in Shakespeare's sonnets ; Ambiguous speaker and storytelling in Shakespeare's sonnets ; Secrets of the dedication to Shakespeare's sonnets

Critical readings 2: Main themes. Four pivotal sonnets: Sonnets 20, 62, 104, 129 ; Shakespeare's sonnets and the history of sexuality ; Shylock in love: economic metaphors in Shakespeare's sonnets ; Hoarding the treasure and squandering the truth: giving and possessing in Shakespeare's sonnets to the young man ; Without remainder: ruins and tombs in Shakespeare's sonnets ; Ecosystemic Shakespeare: vegetable memorabilia in the sonnets ; The social masochism of Shakespeare's sonnets ; Love's usury, poet's debt: borrowing and mimesis in Shakespeare's sonnets ; Who bore the canopy in Sonnet 125?

Resources. Chronology of Shakespeare's life ; Works by William Shakespeare ; Editions of the sonnets ; guide to free online resources on the sonnets ; guide to literary criticism on the sonnets ; General bibliography ; All sonnets ; Contributors ; Index.