To whom did Shakespeare write his sonnets?

This is a bit of a mystery! While we know Shakespeare wrote 154 sonnets, we don't have definitive proof about who the specific recipient was for each one. Here's what we know:

* The Fair Youth: Many sonnets (1-126) seem addressed to a young man, often referred to as "fair youth," "lovely boy," or "my love." Scholars have debated for centuries about the identity of this young man. Popular candidates include Henry Wriothesley, the Earl of Southampton, and William Herbert, the Earl of Pembroke.

* The Dark Lady: Sonnets 127-154 seem to address a mysterious "dark lady." She's described as having dark hair and eyes, and a passionate, sometimes difficult, personality. Her identity is even more speculative than the Fair Youth's, with possibilities ranging from a real mistress to a fictionalized persona.

* Beyond the names: While trying to figure out the exact individuals, some believe Shakespeare's sonnets weren't about specific people but explored universal themes of love, beauty, time, and mortality.

So, the short answer is: we don't know for sure who Shakespeare's sonnets were written to. The mystery adds to their intrigue and continues to fuel scholarly debate!