They are short enough not to drag on and on, but long enough to make a point.
Shakespeare did not title his sonnets.
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He wrote 154 sonnets. That's a historical fact. The sonnets themselves do not deal with historical topics.
He didn't write Petrarch's sonnets. He didn't write Edmund Spenser's sonnets. He didn't write Elizabeth Barrett Browning's sonnets, and especially not "How do I love thee? Let me count the ways."
Sonnets were so popular because back in Shakespeare's time, people were very into romantic poetry, and sonnets are perfect for that. The sonnets of the Italian poet Petrarch were particularly romantic and popular.
Shakespearean sonnets - sonnets by Shakespeare
Shakespearean sonnets - sonnets by Shakespeare
Sonnets tend to be about love and/or nature.
Shakespeare did not title his sonnets.
Shakespeare's sonnets was created in 1609.
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Tottle's Miscellany, published in 1557, contained 271 sonnets.
There are two main types of sonnets: Petrarchan (or Italian) sonnets and Shakespearean (or English) sonnets. Petrarchan sonnets consist of an octave followed by a sestet, while Shakespearean sonnets consist of three quatrains and a final rhyming couplet.
English sonnets, also known as Shakespearean sonnets, have a rhyme scheme of ABAB CDCD EFEF GG. Italian sonnets, also known as Petrarchan sonnets, have a rhyme scheme of ABBA ABBA CDE CDE. English sonnets typically consist of three quatrains followed by a rhyming couplet, while Italian sonnets consist of an octave followed by a sestet.
William Shakespeare wrote sonnets about love.
The volume Shakespeare's Sonnets [1609] contains 154 sonnets, so the usual answer to this question is 154. There are a few 'sonnets' embedded in the plays (particularly in Romeo and Juliet); but people don't normally include these among Shakespeare's Sonnets (for a number of reasons).
Sonnets on Eminent Characters was created in 1796.