Sonnet 130By William Shakespeare

Content

• In this sonnet, Shakespeare ridicules the courtly love tradition where a lover idealises and idolises his loved one. He emphasizes the strength of his love for an imperfect, but very real woman. At first he seems to feel nothing positive towards his love, but in the final couplet his sincere love for her is evident. The strange comparisons give the poem impact and the concluding couplet creates a surprise effect.

FORM AND STRUCTURE• Shakespearean/English sonnet

• 3 Quatrains

• 1 Rhyming couplet

• Rhyme scheme: abab; cdcd; efef;

• A parody, of the conventional love sonnet. The Romantic Poets would praise love and beauty. Shakespeare embraces irony by mocking these details.

• Metre: Iambic pentameter, with ten syllables and a pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables

Sonnet 130 by William Shakespeare

1. My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun;

2. Coral is far more red than her lips' red;

3. If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun;

4. If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.

5. I have seen roses damask'd, red and white,

6. But no such roses see I in her cheeks;

7. And in some perfumes is there more delight

8. Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.

9. I love to hear her speak, yet well I know

10. That music hath a far more pleasing sound;

11. I grant I never saw a goddess go;

12. My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground:

13. And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare

14. As any she belied with false compare.

1. My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun;

She has very ordinary eyes. They lack lustre. Not as bright as the sun.

Nothing – Negative comparison not like the sun (radiant)

Eyes and lips are traditionally compared and are features of female beauty

Simile: ‘like’ he compares her eyes to the sun,

2. Coral is far more red than her lips' red;

A red, pinkish colour

Simile- more than red.

Her lips are quite pale compared to coral.

3. If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun;

Strong compliment, usually as white as snow. A dull grey/brown colour

To have a snow white complexion was considered to be an attribute in Shakespeare’s time.

4. If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.Thread like

Not a pretty picture.

Metaphor: Her hair is compared to black wires as it is not soft and flowing but hard and spiky. This is a very abrupt and off-putting description.

5. I have seen roses damask'd, red and white,Pinkish in colour

6. But no such roses see I in her cheeks;She does not have blushed cheeks which were considered to be attractive with a pale complexion. This is also an image of good health.

7. And in some perfumes is there more delight

8. Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.

Simile: Some perfumes are far more fragrant than the smell of her breath. This is particularly shocking and offensive.

9. I love to hear her speak, yet well I know

10. That music hath a far more pleasing sound;

He would love to hear her speak, but he prefers to listen to music instead. It sounds better than her voice.

He is under no allusions

Music is more gentle/ pleasing to hear than the sound of her voice.

He admits that he had never seen a goddess

11. I grant I never saw a goddess go;

12.My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground:

She is not very graceful, she doesn’t float/grind when she walks. TREADS- the harshness and clumsiness which emphasizes that she is a very real person.

13. And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare

14. As any she belied with false compare.

Either his love for her or he refers to her as ‘my love’.

The entire poem is a false comparison of her beauty. Example, he should say that here eyes are like the sun. Shakespeare embraces her flaws.

IRONIC: He denies that she possesses any heavenly qualities, yet he sears by heaven that the woman he loves is as rare as any woman whom she has been compared and who has been described by means of false comparisons.

TONE: Mocking and serious

Mood: Mocking and humorous.

Theme: Real love doesn’t need false tributes, any woman can be beautiful.