NOTE OF ANXIETY AND UNCERTAINTY IN SHAKESPEARE’S SONNETS

Abstract

Shakespeare’s 154 sonnets have been the subject of much critical debate and controversy. Endless discussions often offer to resolve issues as to whom Shakespeare addresses in his sonnets. But no discussion is clever enough to make us fully accept what it says. Perhaps it is the Bard of Avon’s artistic skill that brings such enigma. An undercurrent of anxiety and uncertainty flows through many of the sonnets to add to the mysterious nature making scope for diverse interpretation and explanation. This paper seeks to reflect the anxious and uncertain atmosphere that pervades the sonnets. My study will show why the dominant tone is full of anxiety and uncertainty and how it relates to the general atmosphere of the sonnets.