Which 1593 Shakespeare poem was dedicated to the Earl of Southampton?

The 1593 Shakespeare poem dedicated to the Earl of Southampton was *Venus and Adonis*.

Shakespeare addressed the dedication to Henry Wriothesley, the third Earl of Southampton, a young nobleman and important patron. The poem retells the classical myth of Venus’s passionate pursuit of the reluctant Adonis, combining erotic comedy, mythology, and elaborate Renaissance description.

The dedication calls the poem Shakespeare’s “first heir of my invention,” suggesting that he regarded it as an important early literary venture. It appeared in print in 1593 and was highly successful, going through numerous editions during Shakespeare’s lifetime.

A common mix-up is *The Rape of Lucrece*, which was also dedicated to Southampton, but appeared in 1594. That later narrative poem has a more serious tone and adapts the legendary Roman story of Lucretia. The other options were not the 1593 poem dedicated to Southampton.