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A Lover's Complaint

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965: 22: 1611: 141: 1621: 264:, an author of theological pamphlets. He details arguments for the non-Shakespearean nature of the poem and lists numerous verbal parallels between the "Complaint" and the known works of Davies: – such as 'What brest so cold that is not warmed heare' and 'What heart's so cold that is not set on fire'. On this evidence it was omitted from the 2007 281:
Had Vickers keyed in "spongy", "outwardly", and "physic"—trying the various possible original spellings and selecting instances of "physic" as a verb—he would have found that in the whole of LION , covering more than six centuries of English poetry, drama, and prose, four separate works contain all
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The poem begins with a description of a young woman weeping at the edge of a river, into which she throws torn-up letters, rings, and other tokens of love. An old man nearby approaches the woman and asks the reason for her sorrow. She responds by telling him of a former lover who pursued, seduced,
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Vickers was led to Davies by the number of words from the "Complaint" he found during a computer search of the invaluable LION archive; but any such investigation is bound to favour such a voluminous author against the less prolific or minimally preserved. In similar work on Restoration poets, I
164:. This idea was not widely accepted, and attributions based on general aesthetic impressions of a poem have since become less common among literary scholars. "A Lover's Complaint" contains words and forms not found elsewhere in Shakespeare, including archaisms and Latinisms. 313:
for works that it was chronologically impossible for him to have written. The reasons were that, like Davies, he wrote a vast amount of verse and that his style had a chameleonlike quality that brought it close to the poetic mean of the
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It was not unusual for sonnets to be followed by longer poems. Late sixteenth-century readers developed a taste for them and would not have been surprised to find complaints at the end of sonnet collections. Samuel Daniel's
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and finally abandoned her. She recounts in detail the speech her lover gave to her which seduced her. She concludes her story by conceding that she would fall for the young man's false charms again:
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to the sonnets, with its narrative triangle of young woman, elderly man, and seductive suitor paralleling a similar triangle in the sonnets themselves.
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Sharon-Zisser, Shirley & Whitworth, Stephen. "Generating Dialogue on Shakespeare’s Lover’s Complaint". Sharon-Zisser, Shirley, editor.
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Few have questioned the authorship of the poem. Shakespeare's authorship was not questioned until the early 19th century, when
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Shirley Sharon-Zisser & Whitworth, Stephen. "Generating Dialogue in Shakespeare's A Lover's Complaint",
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called the poem "beautiful", and suggested that Shakespeare may have been trying to compete with
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Shakespeare is widely accepted as the poems' author. This is supported by studies written by
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One writer suggests that the author was an anonymous early Elizabethan poet.
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written by William Shakespeare, and published as part of the 1609 quarto of
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Critical Essays on Shakespeare's 'A Lover's Complaint': Suffering Ecstasy
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Critical Essays on Shakespeare’s A Lover’s Complaint: Suffering Ecstasy
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John Kerrigan, Motives of Woe: Shakespeare and Female Complaint (1991)
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Shakespeare, 'A Lover's Complaint', and John Davies of Hereford
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Marina Tarlinskajam "Who Did NOT Write A Lover's Complaint",
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review, has similar questions regarding Vickers' suggestion:
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suggested that the poem, and several plays, were written by
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The first known illustration to "A Lover's Complaint", from
99:of seven-lines each written in the form known as 1637: 120:O, that false fire which in his cheek so glowed, 59:"Complaint to Rosamund", which follows Daniel's 422:, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2004, p. 108 392: 390: 388: 361:, 2nd edition, Houghton Mifflin, 1997, p. 1880. 309:continually found parallels with the verse of 122:O, that forc'd thunder from his heart did fly, 501: 192:, the poem may be regarded as an appropriate 124:O, that sad breath his spungy lungs bestowed, 25:The first page of "A Lover's Complaint" from 385: 1448: 508: 494: 333:Petrarch and the English Sonnet Sequences 128:Would yet again betray the fore-betray'd, 126:O, all that borrowed motion seeming owed, 139: 20: 515: 1638: 148:'s 1774 edition of Shakespeare's works 67:"Complaint of Elstred", which follows 1260:Complete Works of William Shakespeare 489: 400:, Ashgate Publishing, 2006, pp. 1–55. 118:O, that infected moisture of his eye, 260:, suggested the poem was written by 248: 1620: 448:, Cambridge University Press, 2007. 130:And new pervert a reconciled maid! 90: 75:"Matilda the Faire", which follows 13: 1435:Shakespeare's influence on Tolkien 14: 1662: 455: 95:The poem consists of forty-seven 1619: 1610: 1609: 963: 16:1609 poem by William Shakespeare 418:Edmondson, P. & Wells, S., 1440:Works titled after Shakespeare 438: 425: 412: 403: 364: 346: 325: 200:and Paul Edmondson note that: 1: 1646:Poetry by William Shakespeare 1600:Shakespeare and other authors 318: 301:The Times Literary Supplement 227:Cynthia, with Certain Sonnets 135: 85:Cynthia with certaine sonnets 1482:Shakespeare Birthplace Trust 335:. AMS Press. New York 1989. 294:, and "A Lover's Complaint". 221:(1593), Richard Barnfield's 7: 1288:English Renaissance theatre 1131:The Second Maiden's Tragedy 1110:The Merry Devil of Edmonton 642:The Two Gentlemen of Verona 83:"Cassandra", which follows 10: 1667: 1456:Folger Shakespeare Library 1002:The Phoenix and the Turtle 592:The Merry Wives of Windsor 475:A Lover's Complaint (1609) 156:expressed doubts. In 1917 1594: 1505: 1475:Royal Shakespeare Theatre 1470:Royal Shakespeare Company 1377: 1234: 1205: 1034: 1025: 972: 961: 893: 865: 756: 666: 599:A Midsummer Night's Dream 543:All's Well That Ends Well 532: 523: 274:Review of English Studies 211:The Complaint of Rosamund 175:All's Well That Ends Well 613:Pericles, Prince of Tyre 219:The Complaint of Elstred 621:The Taming of the Shrew 262:John Davies of Hereford 213:(1592), Thomas Lodge's 48:. It was published by 1303:Lord Chamberlain's Men 1214:The Passionate Pilgrim 987:comparison to Petrarch 606:Much Ado About Nothing 585:The Merchant of Venice 316: 296: 231: 149: 133: 32: 1493:Shakespeare Institute 1462:Shakespeare Quarterly 981:Shakespeare's sonnets 649:The Two Noble Kinsmen 420:Shakespeare's Sonnets 358:Riverside Shakespeare 306: 279: 202: 143: 115: 45:Shakespeare's Sonnets 36:"A Lover's Complaint" 28:Shakespeare's Sonnets 24: 1349:Spelling of his name 1189:Vortigern and Rowena 1167:Thomas Lord Cromwell 747:Troilus and Cressida 677:Antony and Cleopatra 571:Love's Labour's Lost 557:The Comedy of Errors 433:Shakespeare Yearbook 298:Harold Love, in his 284:Troilus and Cressida 243:MacDonald P. Jackson 1573:Richard Shakespeare 1555:Gilbert Shakespeare 1487:Shakespeare's Globe 1392:Authorship question 1387:Attribution studies 1354:Stratford-upon-Avon 1196:A Yorkshire Tragedy 1174:Thomas of Woodstock 1160:The Spanish Tragedy 1101:Love's Labour's Won 1093:The London Prodigal 1050:The Birth of Merlin 1009:The Rape of Lucrece 995:A Lover's Complaint 875:Quarto publications 578:Measure for Measure 517:William Shakespeare 464:A Lover's Complaint 353:Evans, G. Blakemore 181:Measure for Measure 106:The Rape of Lucrece 81:Richard Barnfield's 1567:Edmund Shakespeare 1525:Hamnet Shakespeare 1422:Screen adaptations 1145:Sir John Oldcastle 1043:Arden of Faversham 150: 33: 1633: 1632: 1537:Elizabeth Barnard 1501: 1500: 1230: 1229: 959: 958: 657:The Winter's Tale 469:Project Gutenberg 331:Roche, Thomas P. 249:Alternative views 73:Michael Drayton's 1658: 1623: 1622: 1613: 1612: 1561:Joan Shakespeare 1543:John Shakespeare 1446: 1445: 1427:Shakespeare and 1138:Sejanus His Fall 1105: 1065:Double Falsehood 1032: 1031: 1016:Venus and Adonis 967: 740:Titus Andronicus 726:Romeo and Juliet 530: 529: 510: 503: 496: 487: 486: 471: 449: 442: 436: 429: 423: 416: 410: 407: 401: 394: 383: 368: 362: 350: 344: 329: 91:Form and content 1666: 1665: 1661: 1660: 1659: 1657: 1656: 1655: 1636: 1635: 1634: 1629: 1590: 1539:(granddaughter) 1497: 1444: 1373: 1339:Religious views 1317:Curtain Theatre 1238: 1226: 1201: 1152:Sir Thomas More 1098: 1072:Edmund Ironside 1021: 968: 955: 929:Ghost character 889: 861: 752: 733:Timon of Athens 662: 519: 514: 481:Annotated text. 461: 458: 453: 452: 444:Vickers, John, 443: 439: 430: 426: 417: 413: 408: 404: 395: 386: 369: 365: 351: 347: 330: 326: 321: 251: 217:is followed by 209:is followed by 184:. According to 138: 132: 129: 127: 125: 123: 121: 119: 93: 57:Samuel Daniel's 17: 12: 11: 5: 1664: 1654: 1653: 1648: 1631: 1630: 1628: 1627: 1617: 1606: 1605: 1602: 1595: 1592: 1591: 1589: 1588: 1582: 1576: 1570: 1564: 1558: 1552: 1546: 1540: 1534: 1528: 1522: 1516: 1509: 1507: 1503: 1502: 1499: 1498: 1496: 1495: 1490: 1484: 1479: 1478: 1477: 1467: 1466: 1465: 1452: 1450: 1443: 1442: 1437: 1432: 1424: 1419: 1414: 1409: 1404: 1399: 1394: 1389: 1383: 1381: 1375: 1374: 1372: 1371: 1366: 1361: 1356: 1351: 1346: 1341: 1336: 1331: 1326: 1321: 1320: 1319: 1314: 1300: 1295: 1290: 1285: 1280: 1278:Collaborations 1275: 1270: 1269: 1268: 1263: 1251: 1245: 1243: 1232: 1231: 1228: 1227: 1225: 1224: 1217: 1209: 1207: 1203: 1202: 1200: 1199: 1192: 1185: 1177: 1170: 1163: 1156: 1148: 1141: 1134: 1127: 1120: 1113: 1106: 1096: 1089: 1082: 1075: 1068: 1061: 1053: 1046: 1038: 1036: 1029: 1023: 1022: 1020: 1019: 1012: 1005: 998: 991: 990: 989: 976: 974: 970: 969: 962: 960: 957: 956: 954: 953: 948: 943: 938: 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royal 1651:Love poems 1640:Categories 1549:Mary Arden 1533:(daughter) 1521:(daughter) 1397:Bardolatry 1307:King's Men 1249:Birthplace 936:Chronology 855:Henry VIII 782:Richard II 774:Edward III 684:Coriolanus 477:Full text. 319:References 136:Authorship 1579:John Hall 1569:(brother) 1557:(brother) 1489:(replica) 1429:Star Trek 1417:Memorials 1412:Influence 1402:Festivals 1344:Sexuality 1334:Portraits 1329:New Place 1181:Ur-Hamlet 1117:Mucedorus 1027:Apocrypha 767:King John 758:Histories 705:King Lear 668:Tragedies 564:Cymbeline 435:15, 2005. 292:Cymbeline 225:succeeds 223:Cassandra 158:Robertson 146:John Bell 1615:Category 1563:(sister) 1551:(mother) 1545:(father) 1057:Cardenio 946:Settings 894:See also 817:Henry VI 788:Henry IV 534:Comedies 343:. p. 343 311:Ned Ward 256:In 2007 71:(1593), 63:(1592), 1407:Gardens 1283:Editors 1086:Locrine 1079:Fair Em 911:Henriad 810:Henry V 719:Othello 712:Macbeth 288:Macbeth 229:(1595). 215:Phillis 162:Chapman 154:Hazlitt 97:stanzas 69:Phillis 1604:† Lost 1515:(wife) 1506:Family 1379:Legacy 951:Scenes 691:Hamlet 378:  339:  31:, 1609 1527:(son) 1369:Grave 1359:Style 1324:Music 1241:works 1206:Poems 1035:Plays 973:Poems 525:Plays 355:ed., 314:time. 207:Delia 61:Delia 38:is a 1364:Will 1239:and 1236:Life 376:ISBN 337:ISBN 241:and 194:coda 178:and 924:L–Z 919:A–K 467:at 266:RSC 188:in 1642:: 1598:✻ 1060:✻† 387:^ 290:, 286:, 245:. 237:, 109:. 87:. 52:. 1305:/ 1184:† 1155:✻ 1104:† 858:✻ 839:3 832:2 827:✻ 824:1 801:2 794:1 777:✻ 652:✻ 616:✻ 509:e 502:t 495:v

Index


Shakespeare's Sonnets
narrative poem
Shakespeare's Sonnets
Thomas Thorpe
Samuel Daniel's
Thomas Lodge's
Michael Drayton's
Richard Barnfield's
stanzas
rhyme royal
The Rape of Lucrece

John Bell
Hazlitt
Robertson
Chapman
Edmond Malone
Edmund Spenser
All's Well That Ends Well
Measure for Measure
John Kerrigan
coda
Stanley Wells
Kenneth Muir
Eliot Slater
MacDonald P. Jackson
Brian Vickers
John Davies of Hereford
RSC

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