To the Only Begetter
Dedication to Mr. W.H.:
This dedication is found in the 1609 Quarto and is obviously dedicated to Mr. W.H.
T.T. is Thomas Thorpe, an English publisher.
As it is said, it is not clear if I came up with the dedication or if it was Thorpe. Some speculate Thorpe because he may have written the ambiguous dedication to fuel further speculation and hence produce more sales.[1] I say the idea is brilliant, it seems it worked.
Who is Mr. W.H.? Mr. W.H. can be one of a number of different people. The best candidate is William Herbert, the Earl of Pembroke. Herbert is likely a candidate as he was also the dedicate of the First Folio.
Another likely candidate is the dedicate of Venus & Adonis and The Rape of Lucrece, Henry Wriothesley, the Earl of Southampton.
Many others can also be credited for the initials ranging from Southampton's step-father, Sir William Harvey, to my own male heir and nephew, William Hart.
Or Mr. W.H. can mean no one and/or every male. The initials could have possibly meant "Who he" according to Colin Burrow, the editor of The Complete Sonnets and Poems.[1] *lol* who would have thought two initials can mean so much?
Now, let's focus in how the dedication was written. Did you notice the capitals and the periods? According to SparkNotes, the dedication resembles an ancient Roman inscription set in stone, meaning the sonnets would last forever. Note that the very idea of the sonnets outlasting stone monuments and its inscriptions recurs in the sonnets. ^-^
The dedication itself, means to wish Mr. W.H (the inspiration of the sonnets) happiness and everlasting remembrance, as promised by the immortal poet who wrote them.
So far, so true.
-notgold
Thank you to the following sources:
[1] Colin Burrow, ed. The Complete Sonnets and Poems (Oxford UP, 2002), 98-102-3.
Also thank you to SparkNotes and Wikipedia for the memories.
This dedication is found in the 1609 Quarto and is obviously dedicated to Mr. W.H.
T.T. is Thomas Thorpe, an English publisher.
As it is said, it is not clear if I came up with the dedication or if it was Thorpe. Some speculate Thorpe because he may have written the ambiguous dedication to fuel further speculation and hence produce more sales.[1] I say the idea is brilliant, it seems it worked.
Who is Mr. W.H.? Mr. W.H. can be one of a number of different people. The best candidate is William Herbert, the Earl of Pembroke. Herbert is likely a candidate as he was also the dedicate of the First Folio.
Another likely candidate is the dedicate of Venus & Adonis and The Rape of Lucrece, Henry Wriothesley, the Earl of Southampton.
Many others can also be credited for the initials ranging from Southampton's step-father, Sir William Harvey, to my own male heir and nephew, William Hart.
Or Mr. W.H. can mean no one and/or every male. The initials could have possibly meant "Who he" according to Colin Burrow, the editor of The Complete Sonnets and Poems.[1] *lol* who would have thought two initials can mean so much?
Now, let's focus in how the dedication was written. Did you notice the capitals and the periods? According to SparkNotes, the dedication resembles an ancient Roman inscription set in stone, meaning the sonnets would last forever. Note that the very idea of the sonnets outlasting stone monuments and its inscriptions recurs in the sonnets. ^-^
The dedication itself, means to wish Mr. W.H (the inspiration of the sonnets) happiness and everlasting remembrance, as promised by the immortal poet who wrote them.
So far, so true.
-notgold
Thank you to the following sources:
[1] Colin Burrow, ed. The Complete Sonnets and Poems (Oxford UP, 2002), 98-102-3.
Also thank you to SparkNotes and Wikipedia for the memories.