The article analyzes the linguistic means of representing the cognitive category of emotiveness in 154 Shakespeare’s sonnets. Lexical and stylistic means of nominating, describing and expressing emotions are studied. Emotive situations of the rational representation of emotions, or reflections over emotions are identified. The emotive density of the sonnets is analyzed. The mosaic emotive density with multiple subject of emotional state is described. The representation of polar emotions is analyzed. Explicit and implicit ways of representing emotions are studied. The explicit representation of emotions by means of nomination and expression and the implicit representation of emotions by metaphors are shown to be most common in Shakespeare’s sonnets.

emotion, category of emotiveness, representation, sonnet, nomination, expression, description, emotive density, implicit, explicit, lexis, metaphor, expressiveness