Shakespeare first made his reputation among his contemporaries as a poet rather than as a dramatist, with two long narrative poems, Venus and Adonis which came out in 1593, and Lucrece in 1594. Both are early work, written before he became seriously interested in drama. Venus and Adonis tells the story of the goddess’s pursuit of young Adonis who was not yet ripe for love, for his interest was all in hunting which leads to his death. Lucrece is the story of Tarquin’s lust for Lucrece whom he rapes; and she for shame kills herself. This volume also includes a short personal and enigmatic poem — The Phoenix and the Turtle — which was one of a small collection called Love’s Martyr, published in 1601.