{"product_id":"a-lovers-complaint","title":"A Lover's Complaint","description":"\u003ch4 class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eA young woman, weeping by a river. An old shepherd who finds her. And a story of seduction, betrayal, and the terrible cost of giving your heart to the wrong man.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eShakespeare's most neglected poem is a haunting meditation on desire and regret, a companion piece to the \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSonnets\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, bound with them in their first edition, but rarely read alongside them.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eA young woman, beautiful and tear-stained, sits alone by a riverbank, tearing up letters and throwing them into the water. An old shepherd approaches and asks why she grieves. She tells him: she fell in love with a man who was charming, persuasive, and utterly false. He wooed her with promises and tears. He swore he had never loved before. She gave herself to him. He left her. Now she sits alone, still loving him, still unable to hate him, and knowing that she is not the first woman he has destroyed—nor will she be the last.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThis is Shakespeare at his most Ovidian and melancholy: a poem about the gap between words and feelings, about the seductiveness of a beautiful liar, and about the strange, stubborn persistence of love even after it has been betrayed. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eA Lover's Complaint\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e has been called minor Shakespeare, but its darkness and its compassion are unmistakably his.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFirst published in 1609 as an appendix to the \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSonnets\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWritten in the same rhyme scheme (rime royal) as \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Rape of Lucrece\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eIts authorship was once disputed, but most scholars now accept it as Shakespeare's\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAvailable in multiple formats:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePaperback \u0026amp; Hardcover:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e Beautifully designed print editions presenting the complete, unabridged text made to last.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eEbook:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e DRM-free EPUB compatible with Kindle, Kobo, Apple Books, and all major e-readers.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAudiobook:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e Professionally narrated, complete and unabridged, available on all major audiobook platforms.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eA beautifully crafted edition for your shelf, your device, or your ears, or the perfect gift for anyone who knows that the hardest love to leave is the one that hurt you most.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch4 class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWilliam Shakespeare\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e (1564–1616) was an English playwright, poet, and actor, widely regarded as one of the greatest writers in the English language. Born in Stratford-upon-Avon, he moved to London and became a shareholder in the Lord Chamberlain's Men (later the King's Men). \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eA Lover's Complaint \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003ewas first published in 1609 as part of Thomas Thorpe's edition of \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eShakespeare's Sonnets\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e. The poem's authorship was questioned for centuries, partly because it was not included in the 1640 edition of the \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSonnets\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e and partly because its style seemed less distinctive than Shakespeare's other works. However, modern scholarship, including computer-assisted stylistic analysis—has largely confirmed Shakespeare's hand. The poem is written in the seven-line stanza known as \"rime royal,\" which Shakespeare also used in \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Rape of Lucrece\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e. It remains the least-read of Shakespeare's major poems, but it has found passionate defenders, including the poet John Keats, who admired its intensity. Shakespeare's other major works include \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHamlet\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eKing Lear\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Tempest\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, and the \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSonnets\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e. He died in 1616 at the age of 52 and is buried in Holy Trinity Church in Stratford-upon-Avon.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Casa Carlini","offers":[{"title":"Audiobook","offer_id":54424089788788,"sku":null,"price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"Ebook","offer_id":54424089821556,"sku":null,"price":4.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":54424089854324,"sku":null,"price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"Hardback","offer_id":54424089887092,"sku":null,"price":12.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0988\/5561\/6884\/files\/casa-carlini-simple-audiobook-a-lover-s-complaint-53641359589748.png?v=1779965526","url":"https:\/\/casacarlini.com\/products\/a-lovers-complaint","provider":"Casa Carlini","version":"1.0","type":"link"}