And thou in this shalt find thy monument,
When tyrants’ crests and tombs of brass are spent. (Sonnet 107)
“The particular sonnet [107] which, according to Sir Sidney Lee and other authorities, welcomed Southampton’s liberation from prison in 1603 [April 10], is one of the last of the series … and makes references to events that took place in 1603 – to Queen Elizabeth’s death and the accession of James I.” — J.T. Looney, “‘Shakespeare’ Identified”, 1920, p. 430 [page 365 in the edition by Ruth Loyd Miller]
“In another connection we have had to point out that Shakespeare’s sonnet 125 seems to be pointing to De Vere’s officiating at Queen Elizabeth’s funeral [April 28, 1603]. This may be taken as his last sonnet; for 126 is really … a parting message to his young friend.” – Looney, pp. 395-96 [page 335 in Miller’s edition]
Looney agreed 107 marks Southampton’s liberation on April 10.
He believed that 125 marks Queen Elizabeth’s funeral on April 28.
The nineteen sonnets from 107 to 125 cover one-for-one the nineteen days from April 10 to April 28.
Is this a coincidence? Or is it deliberate?
Sonnet 126, the envoy*, completes the sequence of twenty.
These follow the eighty from 27 to 106 (Southampton’s time in the Tower).
Eighty plus twenty = One Hundred or a Century.
* Sonnets 26 and 126 are both envoys, creating the 100-sonnet center.
1——-26 27——————————–126 127————152
(26) (100) (26)
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