ENGLISH LITERATURE (CBSE/UGC NET)

Detailed explanation-1: -The correct answer is 154 sonnets. Shakespeare, the Bard of Avon, has written 39 plays, 154 sonnets and three long narrative poems. Shakespearean sonnet, also known as the English sonnet, is of the rhyme scheme abab cdcd efef gg.

Detailed explanation-2: -Nothing has been found documenting the composition of the more than 36 plays and 154 sonnets attributed to the Bard. Most scholars accept that William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon, and spent time acting in London before returning to Stratford, where he lived until his death in 1616.

Detailed explanation-3: -His extant works, including collaborations, consist of approximately 38 plays, 154 sonnets, two long narrative poems, and a few other verses, some of uncertain authorship. His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright.

Detailed explanation-4: -Shakespeare published two long poems, among his earliest successes: Venus and Adonis in 1593 and The Rape of Lucrece in 1594. These poems were dedicated to his patron the Earl of Southampton. Venus and Adonis was Shakespeare’s first-published work.

Detailed explanation-5: -The two longest works that scholars agree were written by Shakespeare are entitled Venus and Adonis and The Rape of Lucrece. Both dedicated to the Honorable Henry Wriothesley, Earl of Southampton, who seems to have acted as a sponsor and encouraging benefactor of Shakespeare’s work for a brief time.