Renaissance Era:
* "Ozymandias" by Percy Bysshe Shelley (1818): A powerful sonnet about the fleeting nature of power and fame, focusing on the ruined statue of the Egyptian pharaoh.
* "When I Have Fears That I May Cease to Be" by John Keats (1818): A sonnet exploring the poet's anxieties about mortality and the incompleteness of his artistic endeavors.
* "Sonnet 18" by Edmund Spenser (from *Amoretti*, 1595): A sonnet celebrating the beauty of his beloved, comparing her to a summer's day.
* "Sonnet 106" by John Milton (from *Sonnets*, 1645): A sonnet reflecting on the political and social turmoil of his time, with a plea for unity and peace.
Romantic Era:
* "Composed Upon Westminster Bridge, September 3, 1802" by William Wordsworth (1807): While not technically a sonnet, it embodies the sonnet form in its fourteen lines and iambic pentameter. Wordsworth's poem is a powerful expression of awe at the beauty of London.
* "When We Two Parted" by Lord Byron (1816): A dramatic sonnet about the pain of a lost love, with its simple yet powerful language and emotional depth.
Modern Era:
* "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" by T.S. Eliot (1915): Though not a traditional sonnet, it uses the sonnet form in its structure and themes, exploring themes of isolation and existential angst.
* "Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night" by Dylan Thomas (1951): A powerful villanelle (a form related to the sonnet) that urges defiance against death and celebrates the spirit of life.
* "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud" by William Wordsworth (1807): This poem, though not a sonnet, embodies the sonnet form in its 14 lines and iambic pentameter, reflecting on the simple joys of nature and the power of memory.
Beyond English:
* "The Song of the River" by Giacomo Leopardi (1824): An Italian sonnet, beautifully capturing the emotions and themes of a river's journey, reflecting on themes of life, time, and change.
* "Soneto 23" by Gabriela Mistral (1924): A Spanish sonnet, expressing the poet's deep love for a lost friend.
These are just a few examples of the many famous sonnets written by poets other than Shakespeare. It's worth exploring the works of these and other great poets to discover the diverse range of themes and styles that the sonnet form can encompass.