He wrote poems and sonnets that were greatly adored. During his lifetime, Shakespeare wrote 154 sonnets between 1592 and 1598. Sonnet 18 is widely known as one of Shakespeare's greatest sonnets. Sonnet 18 is memorable for the subject, in which the poet's feelings reach a level of rapture not seen in previous sonnets. The poet abandons his quest for youth to bear a child and glories in the beauty of youth. Another of Shakespeare's greatest sonnets is Sonnet 30. It has dire consequences for aging and love, as Shakespeare describes the very small things that make people anxious when they descend into the past.