The Sonnets Audiobook By William Shakespeare cover art

The Sonnets

 Preview
Get this deal Try for $0.00
Offer ends January 29, 2026 11:59pm PT
Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible? Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Just $0.99/mo for your first 3 months of Audible Premium Plus.
1 audiobook per month of your choice from our unparalleled catalog.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, podcasts, and Originals.
Auto-renews at $14.95/mo after 3 months. Cancel anytime.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Unlimited access to our all-you-can listen catalog of 150K+ audiobooks and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

The Sonnets

By: William Shakespeare
Narrated by: Alex Jennings
Get this deal Try for $0.00

$14.95/mo after 3 months. Cancel anytime. Offer ends January 21, 2026 11:59pm PT.

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $13.62

Buy for $13.62

LIMITED TIME OFFER | Get 3 months for $0.99 a month

$14.95/mo thereafter-terms apply.

Everyone knows something of Shakespeare's sonnets, even if only in memorable fragments like "the darling buds of May", or "remembrance of things past", or "the marriage of true minds". For centuries these wonderfully crafted, intense lyrics have stood for something valued about youth, love, and the emotional complexities belonging to that time of life. This new recording presents all 154 of Shakespeare's sonnets, using the New Cambridge Shakespeare texts.

Download the accompanying reference guide.©1997 NAXOS AudioBooks Ltd. (P)1997 NAXOS AudioBooks Ltd. Ancient, Classical & Medieval Literature Drama & Plays European Literary History & Criticism Poetry Shakespeare World Literature

Editorial reviews

William Shakespeare wrote 154 sonnets on subjects ranging from love and beauty to time and mortality, and this audiobook presents them all, narrated with empathy and brio by Royal Shakespeare Company actor Alex Jennings. Groundbreaking and unusual at the time they were published, Shakespeare's sonnets are still thought-provoking today, with many lines that are oft-referenced in modern literature and popular culture, from "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day" in Sonnet 18, to "My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun" in Sonnet 130. With their rolling cadence and dramatic subjects, these poems are at their best when performed live, as this compelling recording more than proves.
All stars
Most relevant
I have not heard other readings of the sonnets, so I don't know how this one compares with the others available. But the narrator's voice is pleasant and generally easy to follow (although he sometimes reads a little too fast for my taste).

But what I like most about this recording are the musical interludes (each lasting approx. 30-60 seconds) that precede each group of six sonnets. The music seems to date from the Tudor era and is played on the lute and/or similar plucked instruments. Whoever chose the music did an excellent job, I think, because the pieces are consistently of the highest quality. (Fortunately there is no music playing DURING the readings, but only before them.)

Good reading, great music

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
No sentimentality. Nothing pretentious or showy. Just the sonnets as they were meant to be. It's the real deal in its entirety.

Real deal

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
a lot to digest. good narration. steady with inflection as well as pleasant accompanying music

very rich

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.