Shakespeare’s Sonnets appeared during William Shakespeare’s lifetime once in a single volume in 1609. There is speculation regarding how much Shakespeare was involved with this publication, as it may have been initiated, designed, or completed by publisher Thomas Thorpe without Shakespeare’s assistance. Prior to this point, the sonnets had only been privately circulated.

The 1609 volume contains 154 sonnets, which are generally considered as two sections; the first 126 poems focus on a character that has been named “The Fair Youth”—of which “Sonnet 43” is one. The second grouping (Sonnets 127-152) focuses on a dark-haired woman whom scholars call “The Dark Lady.” The sonnets also contain a recurring figure named “The Rival Poet,” who appears in Sonnets 78-87. The Rival Poet vies for the attention of The Fair Youth, trying to usurp the speaker. The last two sonnets, Sonnets 153 and 154, draw on the myth of Cupid, and comment on themes of the entirety of the work. While in truth, there may have been more than one youth, lady, or rival, these terms are used as if the characters are the same in multiple sonnets. There is no known evidence as to whether the poems should be read chronologically or as a connected lyrical

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