Shakespeare Sonnets in Modern English
Read Shakespeare’s sonnets below, along with a modern English interpretation. These are intended to offer an easy read-through to aid understanding of the sonnets. There’s no attempt to ‘translate’ Shakespeare’s sonnets word for word, as Shakespeare’s poetry is intense and heavily layered with multiple meanings and use of rhyme, metre, and metaphors. These Shakespeare sonnet translations offer only the argument of each sonnet and a general impression of the main sense, whilst following each line and image as a modern version. Take your pick from the list of Shakespeare sonnets below:
- Sonnet 1: From Fairest Creatures We Desire Increase
- Sonnet 2: When Forty Winters Shall Besiege Thy Brow
- Sonnet 3: Look In Thy Glass, And Tell The Face Thou Viewest
- Sonnet 4: Unthrifty Loveliness, Why Dost Thou Spend
- Sonnet 5: Those Hours, That With Gentle Work Did Frame
- Sonnet 6: Then Let Not Winter’s Ragged Hand Deface
- Sonnet 7: Lo! In The Orient When The Gracious Light
- Sonnet 8: Music To Hear, Why Hear’st Thou Music Sadly?
- Sonnet 9: Is It For Fear To Wet A Widow’s Eye
- Sonnet 10: For Shame Deny That Thou Bear’st Love To Any
- Sonnet 11: As Fast As Thou Shalt Wane, So Fast Thou Grow
- Sonnet 12: When I Do Count The Clock That Tells Time
- Sonnet 13: O! That You Were Your Self! But, Love, You Are
- Sonnet 14: Not From The Stars Do I My Judgement Pluck
- Sonnet 15: When I Consider Everything That Grows
- Sonnet 16: But Wherefore Do Not You A Mightier Way
- Sonnet 17: Who Will Believe In My Verse In Time To Come
- Sonnet 18: Shall I Compare Thee To A Summer’s Day?
- Sonnet 19: Devouring Time, Blunt Thou The Lion’s Paw
- Sonnet 20: A Woman’s Face With Nature’s Own Hand Painted
- Sonnet 21: So It Is Not With Me As With That Muse
- Sonnet 22: My Glass Shall Not Persuade Me I Am Old
- Sonnet 23: As An Unperfect Actor On The Stage
- Sonnet 24: Mine Eye Hath Play’d The Painter and Hath Steel’d
- Sonnet 25: Let Those Who Are In Favour With Their Stars
- Sonnet 26: Lord Of My Love, To Whom In Vassalage
- Sonnet 27: Weary With Toil, I Haste To My Bed
- Sonnet 28: How Can I Then Return In Happy Plight
- Sonnet 29: When In Disgrace With Fortune and Men’s Eyes
- Sonnet 30: When To The Sessions Of Sweet Silent Thought
- Sonnet 31: Thy Bosom Is Endeared With All Hearts
- Sonnet 32: If Thou Survive My Well-Contented Day
- Sonnet 33: Full Many A Glorious Morning I Have Seen
- Sonnet 34: Why Didst Thou Promise Such A Beauteous Day
- Sonnet 35: No More Be Grieved At That Which Thou Hast Done
- Sonnet 36: Let Me Confess That We Two Must Be Twain
- Sonnet 37: As A Decrepit Father Takes Delight
- Sonnet 38: How Can My Muse Want Subject To Invent
- Sonnet 39: O! How Thy Worth With Manners May I Sing
- Sonnet 40: Take All My Loves, My Love, Yea Take Them All
- Sonnet 41: Those Pretty Wrongs That Liberty Commits
- Sonnet 42: That Thou Hast It Is Not All My Grief
- Sonnet 43: When Most I Wink, Then Do Mine Eyes Best See
- Sonnet 44: If The Dull Substance Of My Flesh Were Thought
- Sonnet 45: That Thou Hast It Is Not All My Grief
- Sonnet 46: Mine Eye And Heart Are At A Mortal War
- Sonnet 47: Betwixt Mine Eye And Heart A League Is Took
- Sonnet 48: How Careful Was I When I Took My Way
- Sonnet 49: Against That Time, If Ever That Time Come
- Sonnet 50: How Heavy Do I Journey On The Way
- Sonnet 51: Thus Can My Love Excuse The Slow Offence
- Sonnet 52: So Am I As The Rich, Whose Blessed Key
- Sonnet 53: What Is Your Substance, Whereof Are You Made
- Sonnet 54: O! How Much More Doth Beauty Beauteous Seem
- Sonnet 55: O! Not Marble, Nor The Gilded Monuments
- Sonnet 56: Sweet Love, Renew Thy Force; Be It Not Said
- Sonnet 57: Being Your Slave What Should I Do But Tend
- Sonnet 58: That God Forbid, That Made Me First Your Slave
- Sonnet 59: If There Be Nothing New, But That Which Is
- Sonnet 60: Like As The Waves Make Towards The Pebbled Shore
- Sonnet 61: Is It Thy Will, Thy Image Should Keep Open
- Sonnet 62: Sin Of Self-love Possesseth All Mine Eye
- Sonnet 63: Against My Love Shall Be As I Am Now
- Sonnet 64: When I Have Seen By Time’s Fell Hand Defac’d
- Sonnet 65: Since Brass, Nor Stone, Nor Earth, Nor Boundless Sea
- Sonnet 66: Tired For All These, For Restful Death I Cry
- Sonnet 67: Ah! Wherefore With Infection Should He Live
- Sonnet 68: In Days Long Since, Before These Last So Bad
- Sonnet 69: Those Parts Of Thee That The World’s Eye Doth View
- Sonnet 70: That Thou Art Blamed Shall Not Be Thy Defect
- Sonnet 71: No Longer Mourn For Me When I Am Dead
- Sonnet 72: O! Lest The World Should Task You To Recite
- Sonnet 73: That Time Of Year Thou Mayst In Me Behold
- Sonnet 74: But Be Contented When That Fell Arrest
- Sonnet 75: So Are You To My Thoughts As Food To Life
- Sonnet 76: Why Is My Verse So Barren Of New Pride
- Sonnet 77: Thy Glass Will Show Thee How Thy Beauties Wear
- Sonnet 78: So Oft Have I Invoked Thee For My Muse
- Sonnet 79: Whilst I Alone Did Call Upon Thy Aid
- Sonnet 80: O! How I Faint When I Do Write Of You
- Sonnet 81: Or I Shall Live Your Epitaph To Make
- Sonnet 82: I Grant Thou Wert Not Married To My Muse
- Sonnet 83: I Never Saw That You Did Painting Need
- Sonnet 84: Who Is It That Says Most, Which Can Say More
- Sonnet 85: My Tongue-Tied Muse In Manners Holds Her Still
- Sonnet 86: Was It The Proud Sail Of His Great Verse
- Sonnet 87: Farewell! Thou Art Too Dear For My Possessing
- Sonnet 88: When Thou Shalt Be Dispos’d To Set Me Light
- Sonnet 89: Say That Thou Didst Forsake Me For Some Fault
- Sonnet 90: Then Hate Me When Thou Wilt; If Ever, Now
- Sonnet 91: Some Glory In Ttheir Birth, Some In Their Skill
- Sonnet 92: But Do Thy Worst To Steal Thyself Away
- Sonnet 93: So Shall I Live, Supposing Thou Art True
- Sonnet 94: They That Have Power To Hurt, And Will Do None
- Sonnet 95: How Sweet And Lovely Dost Thou Make The Shame
- Sonnet 96: Some Say Thy Fault Is Youth, Some Wantonness
- Sonnet 97: How Like A Winter Hath My Absence Been
- Sonnet 98: From You Have I Been Absent In The Spring
- Sonnet 99: The Forward Violet Thus Did I Chide
- Sonnet 100: Where Art Thou, Muse, That Thou Forget’st So Long
- Sonnet 101: O Truant Muse, What Shall Be Thy Amends
- Sonnet 102: My Love Is Strengthen’d, Though More Weak In Seeming
- Sonnet 103: Alack, What Poverty My Muse Brings Forth
- Sonnet 104: To Me, Fair Friend, You Never Can Be Old
- Sonnet 105: Let Not My Love Be Called Idolatry
- Sonnet 106: When In The Chronicle Of Wasted Time
- Sonnet 107: Not Mine Own Fears, Nor The Prophetic Soul
- Sonnet 108: What’s In The Brain That Ink May Character
- Sonnet 109: O! Never Say That I Was False Of Heart
- Sonnet 110: Alas! ‘Tis True, I Have Gone Here And There
- Sonnet 111: O For My Sake Do You With Fortune Chide
- Sonnet 112: Your Love And Pity Doth Th’ Impression Fill
- Sonnet 113: Since I Left You, Mine Eye Is In My Mind
- Sonnet 114: Or Whether Doth My Mind, Being Crowned With You
- Sonnet 115: Those Lines That I Before Have Writ Do Lie
- Sonnet 116: Let Me Not To The Marriage Of True Minds
- Sonnet 117: Accuse Me Thus: That I Have Scanted All
- Sonnet 118: Like As To Make Our Appetites More Keen
- Sonnet 119: What Potions Have I Drunk Of Siren Tears
- Sonnet 120: That You Were Once Unkind Befriends Me Now
- Sonnet 121: ‘Tis Better To Be Vile Than Vile Esteemed
- Sonnet 122: Thy Gift, Thy Tables, Are Within My Brain
- Sonnet 123: Thy Pyramids Built Up With Newer Might
- Sonnet 124: If My Dear Love Were But The Child Of State
- Sonnet 125: Were’t Ought To Me I Bore The Canopy
- Sonnet 126: O Thou, My Lovely Boy, Who In Thy Pow’r
- Sonnet 127: In The Old Age Black Was Not Counted Fair
- Sonnet 128: How Oft When Thou, My Music, Music Play’st
- Sonnet 129: Th’ Expense Of Spirit In A Waste Of Shame
- Sonnet 130: My Mistress’ Eyes Are Nothing Like The Sun
- Sonnet 131: Thou Art As Tyrannous, So As Thou Art
- Sonnet 132: Thine Eyes I Love, And They, As Pitying Me
- Sonnet 133: Beshrew That Heart That Makes My Heart To Groan
- Sonnet 134: So Now I Have Confessed That He Is Thine
- Sonnet 135: Whoever Hath Her Wish, Thou Hast Thy Will
- Sonnet 136: If Thy Soul Check Thee That I Come So Near
- Sonnet 137: Thou Blind Fool, Love, What Dost Thou To Mine Eyes
- Sonnet 138: When My Love Swears That She Is Made Of Truth
- Sonnet 139: O! Call Not Me To Justify The Wrong
- Sonnet 140: Be Wise As Thou Art Cruel
- Sonnet 141: In Faith I Do Not Love You With Mine Eyes
- Sonnet 142: Love Is My Sin, And Thy Dear Virtue Hate
- Sonnet 143: Lo, As A Careful Housewife Runs To Catch
- Sonnet 144: Two Loves I Have Of Comfort And Despair
- Sonnet 145: Those Lips That Love’s Own Hand Did Make
- Sonnet 146: Poor Soul, The Centre Of My Sinful Earth
- Sonnet 147: My Love Is As A Fever Longing Still
- Sonnet 148: O Me! What Eyes Hath Love Put In My Head
- Sonnet 149: Canst Thou, O Cruel! Say I Love Thee Not
- Sonnet 150: O! From What Power Hast Thou This Powerful Might
- Sonnet 151: Love Is Too Young To Know What Conscience Is
- Sonnet 152: In Loving Thee Thou Kow’st I Am Forsworn
- Sonnet 153: Cupid Laid By His Brand And Fell Asleep
- Sonnet 154: The Little Love-God Lying Once Asleep
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What’s your take on the Shakespeare sonnets listed above? Let us know by joining in the conversation in the comments section below.
5 Responses to Shakespeare Sonnets in Modern English
i recomend u to read shall i compare thee to a summer day its beutiful from the heart
sonnet 18 is beautiful now that i understand it fully in modern english. I have put it into my homework about shakespeare sonnets
I think that they are written amazingly and flow so lovely and fluently
Ahh, I love the sonnets! I think I’m getting ready for a new reading of them… I like to go back and rediscover them every once in awhile
I love the snarkiness of sonnet 11: “Nature meant for ugly people to die without having kids, because they’re so dang ugly”… oh Shakespeare….
I wrote a piece about the sonnet as a form – what it can accomplish, and what the structure makes it particularly attuned to… if you love Shakespeare’s sonnets, check it out, methinks you’ll enjoy it
http://www.waistcoatandwatch.com/2012/07/05/the-sonnet/
Huh…..I think he ment that they were ugly figurtivly.