How Many Sonnets Did Shakespear Write?

William Shakespeare wrote a total of 154 sonnets contained in a volume entitled "Sonnets". These sonnets are divided into three parts; Sonnets 1 to 126 are addressed to a young man, who is advised about gaining immortality through marriage, in the form of children. The young man is said to be a great friend of Shakespeare, the Earl of Southampton. Sonnet 127 to 152 are addressed to a 'dark lady', a temptress who has not only deceived and abandoned the poet but has also caused him to be disillusioned with his dear friend by taking on an affair with him. This young friend is the same one the first set of sonnets are addressed to. Sonnets 153 and 154 are adaptations of classical Greek poetry.