poetry essay on sonnet 130 structure

Sonnet 130 Summary & Analysis by William Shakespeare

• Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis
• Poetic Devices
• Vocabulary & References
• Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme
• Line-by-Line Explanations

"Sonnet 130" was written by the English poet and playwright William Shakespeare. Though most likely written in the 1590s, the poem wasn't published until 1609. Like many other sonnets from the same period, Shakespeare's poem wrestles with beauty, love, and desire. He tries to find a more authentic, realistic way to talk about these things in the sonnet, and gleefully dismisses the highly artificial poems of praise his peers were writing. Shakespeare's poem also departs from his contemporaries in terms of formal structure — it is a new kind of sonnet—the "Shakespearean" sonnet.

• Read the full text of “Sonnet 130: My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun”

The Full Text of “Sonnet 130: My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun”

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 damasked, 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.

“Sonnet 130: My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun” Summary

“sonnet 130: my mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun” themes.

Beauty and Love

• See where this theme is active in the poem.

Love, Personality, and the Superficial

Line-by-line explanation & analysis of “sonnet 130: my mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun”.

My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun; 

Coral is far more red than her lips' red;  If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun;  If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head. 

I have seen roses damasked, red and white,  But no such roses see I in her cheeks;  And in some perfumes is there more delight  Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks. 

I love to hear her speak, yet well I know  That music hath a far more pleasing sound;  I grant I never saw a goddess go;  My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground. 

Lines 13-14

   And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare     As any she belied with false compare.

“Sonnet 130: My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun” Symbols

• See where this symbol appears in the poem.

“Sonnet 130: My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language

• See where this poetic device appears in the poem.

Parallelism

End-stopped line, “sonnet 130: my mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun” vocabulary.

Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.

• See where this vocabulary word appears in the poem.

Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “Sonnet 130: My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun”

Rhyme scheme, “sonnet 130: my mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun” speaker, “sonnet 130: my mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun” setting, literary and historical context of “sonnet 130: my mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun”, more “sonnet 130: my mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun” resources, external resources.

Harryette Mullen's "Dim Lady" — Read the full text of Harryette Mullen's "Dim Lady," a rewriting of Shakespeare's Sonnet 130.

"Sonnet 130" Glossary — A glossary and commentary on Sonnet 130 from Buckingham University.

1609 Quarto Printing of Shakespeare's Sonnet 130 — An image of Shakespeare's Sonnet 130 as it appeared in its first printing, in 1609.

Reading of "Sonnet 130" — Ian Midlane reads "Sonnet 130" for the BBC, introduced by some smooth jazz.

Blazon Lady — See an image of Charles Berger's blazon lady and read Thomas Campion's contemporaneous blazon. 

Sidney's Astrophil and Stella #9 — Read the full text of Sidney's earlier blazon, Astrophil and Stella #9.  

LitCharts on Other Poems by William Shakespeare

Sonnet 116: Let me not to the marriage of true minds

Sonnet 129: Th' expense of spirit in a waste of shame

Sonnet 12: When I do count the clock that tells the time

Sonnet 138: When my love swears that she is made of truth

Sonnet 141: In faith, I do not love thee with mine eyes

Sonnet 147: My love is as a fever, longing still

Sonnet 18: Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?

Sonnet 19: Devouring Time, blunt thou the lion's paws

Sonnet 20: A woman’s face with nature’s own hand painted

Sonnet 27: "Weary with toil, I haste me to my bed"

Sonnet 29: When, in disgrace with fortune and men’s eyes

Sonnet 30: When to the sessions of sweet silent thought

Sonnet 33: Full many a glorious morning have I seen

Sonnet 45: The other two, slight air and purging fire

Sonnet 55: Not marble nor the gilded monuments

Sonnet 60: Like as the waves make towards the pebbl'd shore

Sonnet 65 ("Since brass, nor stone, nor earth, nor boundless sea")

Sonnet 71: No longer mourn for me when I am dead

Sonnet 73: That time of year thou mayst in me behold

Sonnet 94: "They that have power to hurt"

Ask LitCharts AI: The answer to your questions

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Sonnet 130 Analysis

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“Sonnet 130” by William Shakespeare – An In-Depth Analysis

William Shakespeare is well known for a vast array of poems and plays. While he did write a number of poems that were not sonnets, he is generally remembered for his sonnets specifically. Today, we will be having a look at one of his most interesting sonnets, and that is Sonnet 130 . This sonnet is also often known as My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun . So, if you want an answer to the question, “What is Sonnet 130 about?”, look no further! We will explore this in-depth in our Sonnet 130 analysis below.

Table of Contents

• 1 Sonnet 130 by William Shakespeare
• 2 Sonnet 130 Summary Points
• 3 Biography of William Shakespeare
• 4 A Note on Naming Conventions
• 5.1 Quatrain One
• 5.2 Quatrain Two
• 5.3 Quatrain Three
• 5.4 Final Couplet
• 6 The Themes of Sonnet 130 by William Shakespeare
• 7.1 What Is Sonnet 130 by William Shakespeare?
• 7.2 Who Is William Shakespeare?
• 7.3 What Is Sonnet 130 About?
• 7.4 What Are Other Famous Poems by William Shakespeare?
• 7.5 What Are the Themes of Sonnet 130 by William Shakespeare?

Sonnet 130 by William Shakespeare

There are so many different examples of poems about love, including those by William Shakespeare, such as Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? that uphold a near-impossible ideal of beauty. This idealized form is something that is generally unattainable, and yet it is espoused by countless poets who view beauty in a muse-like way. However, the occasional poem comes along that entirely breaks that apart.

In terms of Sonnet 130 by William Shakespeare, this is exactly the case. This poem serves as a means of satirizing the very ideals of beauty that figures like Shakespeare himself often upheld. It is a beautiful poem for this very reason. It sees someone as beautiful in a way that many poems, especially of the era, did not express. So, before we dive into our Sonnet 130 analysis, let’s first have a look at a few summary points.

Sonnet 130 Summary Points

If you truly want to understand My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun , we will need to engage in a full Sonnet 130 analysis, but not everyone has time for that. For those who don’t necessarily have the time, let’s instead first have a look at a few summarized points that may help:

• Sonnet 130 is a poem about beauty . This poem discusses various aspects of the appearance of a woman, but it focuses on the other side of beauty: ugliness. This still means that it is a poem about beauty, and the poem ultimately concludes by referring to a more inner beauty.
• Sonnet 130 is a satirical take on other poems about beauty. While many poems about beauty focus on a highly stylized interpretation of beauty, Sonnet 130 is instead concerned with breaking down this idealized version of beauty. In many ways, this poem mocks the usual way in which poems about beauty are written.
• Sonnet 130 can come across as mean-spirited. The way in which Shakespeare describes the woman who is being discussed in this poem can be construed as extremely rude. While the conclusion of the poem is far more positive about this woman, the mean-spirited language before that conclusion may turn some off the poem.

These few summarized points should help for those who do not have the time for our full Sonnet 130 analysis. However, if you do want to have an answer to the question, “What is Sonnet 130 about?”, you will need to keep reading.

And we will start that analysis with a brief look at the man behind it all.

Biography of William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare is one of the best-known writers of all time. The influence that this figure exerted on the English language is impossible to overstate. There are a multitude of new words and phrases that were either invented by Shakespeare or appeared in his texts for the first time. He has often become seen as the national poet of the English people and the language as a whole.

His immense fame and influence on the language and literature, in general, has earned him the title “the Bard”, and this is a fitting title. He was a poet, playwright, and actor, and while he is often best known for the many plays that he produced, he also wrote many of the most famous sonnets in the English language. Today, we’re going to check out one of the most famous of all the poems that he wrote.

A Note on Naming Conventions

If you are curious why this poem has mostly been referred to as “ Sonnet 130 ” in this article, it’s because that is what the poem is actually called. William Shakespeare did not name his sonnets. Instead, they are all numbered. However, regardless of this, they have come to be known by the first line in each of the poems. For this reason, we often know this particular poem as My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun rather than Sonnet 130 .

However, we will refer to both of those names throughout this analysis. And, speaking of our Sonnet 130 analysis, let’s get started.

An In-Depth Sonnet 130 Analysis

When it comes to an analysis of any Shakespearean sonnet, there are a few things to always remember. This is because he did not exactly vary his style of poetry from one sonnet to the next. For this reason, they are all Shakespearean/Elizabethan sonnets, and this means that they come with a specific rhyme scheme. In this case, the rhyme scheme is ABABCDCDEFEFGG.

On top of this, William Shakespeare is best known for writing his poetry in iambic pentameter. This is a metrical structure in which there is a specific beat. In this case, the beat is an unstressed followed by a stressed syllable. In addition, these syllables are in five pairs for a grand total of ten syllables per line. These are the basic elements of the analysis of any Shakespearean sonnet, and one should always remember them when diving into an analysis.

However, it’s now the time for the deeper dive! This time with a little more purpose. We are going to perform an in-depth Sonnet 130 analysis. We will perform this analysis by examining each of the quatrains of the poem before finally ending off with the final couplet of this poem.

So, let’s get going with our My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun analysis.

Quatrain One

My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun;

Coral is far more red than her lips’ red;

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

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

The very first line of the poem is where we are introduced to this idea of the mistress. She is stated to be his mistress, but this does not mean she is a wife or anything of the sort but rather someone whom the speaker sees as connected to him. And that first line also opens with the motif that will be a recurring feature of this poem: the use of unflattering comparisons to natural images.

The first image is that of the sun, and we are told that her eyes are not like the sun. This indicates that they do not glow. They are not vibrant and powerful. They are not special in that sense. There is little in this mistress that differentiates her, or at least by this point in the poem. The next line continues this idea.

The next comparison is between her lips and coral. It states that coral is far redder than her lips will ever be. This is the use of the natural image of something that we generally accept to be beautiful, coral, and it is applied to her body. This is a common feature in many poems about beauty, except that many poems about beauty will use these comparisons in a favorable sense. For instance, imagine if the poem had stated that her lips were like coral. That would be more what we would expect from a poem about beauty.

But the subversion found in this poem started with the very first line of Sonnet 130 by William Shakespeare.

The next line is yet another of these comparisons. This time around, it uses the image of pure white snow. Something that is usually seen as absolutely stunning. But it is used to say that while snow is gorgeous and white, her breasts are dull. The word “dun” is a rather old one, but it does not have any sense of positivity to it. These first few lines have appeared immensely insulting toward this woman.

And the next line is just as seemingly mean-spirited. This time, it refers to her hair, but not as something gorgeous that flows in the wind and is caught upon the breeze as if spied in a dream. No, these hairs are like black wires. They are not attractive, and they are not beautiful things that can be adored. The first quatrain comes to a close, and we have so far been presented with a very plain image.

Quatrain Two

I have seen roses damasked, red and white,

But no such roses see I in her cheeks;

And in some perfumes is there more delight

Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.

The image of plainness persists in the second of the three quatrains of the poem. Now, we are given the image, in the first two lines, of roses. The speaker says that he has seen stunning red and white roses, and they are gorgeous things. However, her cheeks are not like them. She does not have rosy cheeks. Instead, we can probably assume that her cheeks are dun, like her breasts were described in the previous quatrain.

The first image is spread over two lines, and the same is true of the next image. While the first quatrain used one image per line, this quatrain has used a more enjambement style to present longer, and often meaner, statements on this mistress that the speaker is discussing. The second image uses the idea of perfume.

Many love poems mention the smell of a person. They smell lovely, like flowers! This image appears to evoke a similar idea. The first two lines in the quatrain specifically mentioned roses. However, we are, once again, given a mean image, and because of the contemporary connotations of this word, this is probably the line that sticks out the most to contemporary audiences, because the speaker states that her breath “reeks”. The use of the word “reeks” does not necessarily mean that her breath is foul-smelling, but there is a direct comparison between the smell of perfume and her breath. So, her breath, in comparison to perfume, reeks.

This is a very unpleasant image, but because of what has come before, it is unlikely that this means she smells. It is just another way of stating that she is rather average.

Quatrain Three

I love to hear her speak, yet well I know

That music hath a far more pleasing sound;

I grant I never saw a goddess go;

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

The last of the quatrains opens with a change. We are now given the idea that he loves her. He has spent the entire poem being rather rude to and about her, but we are suddenly given this image of love. He uses this love to state that even though her voice is not like music, which is yet another negative image, it is one that he loves to hear. He knows that her voice is not magical and beautiful, yet he adores it.

The last two lines, which form one image, continue this switch toward positivity. However, it does so by calling attention to the more traditional kind of love poetry. He explicitly states that this mistress he so loves is not an angel. She does not glide through the air as if held aloft by divine powers because of her immense and unfathomable beauty! Instead, she is a person. She walks on the ground. She is not special. Or at least, she is not special in a more objective sense that many poems about beauty would have us believe about certain people. We have now seen the shift in tone, but the final couplet is what brings it all together. This is common in many Shakespearean sonnets, and it applies here too.

It is time for the final words of the poem, and they are the most beautiful of them all because they do not focus on the impossibility of beauty, but rather on the subjective reality of it.

Final Couplet

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

   As any she belied with false compare.

The last two lines of this poem speak from the first-person perspective to state that his love for her is a rare thing that he cherishes. There is no point to these false comparisons that are often made in poems about beauty. She does not have angelic hair, perfect skin, rosy cheeks, or a musical voice. She is a person. He loves her for the person that she is rather than the person that is usually discussed in poems about beauty. She is not idealized, she is real.

This is the end of the poem and the conclusion of our in-depth Sonnet 130 analysis. This poem is a criticism of sorts of the usual way in which beauty is discussed in many poems about beauty. One does not need to be some gorgeous creature beyond all compare to be beautiful to someone else.

This poem shows this in a stunning way, and it remains one of the best poems ever written by William Shakespeare.

The Themes of Sonnet 130 by William Shakespeare

Some of the main themes that you will find in Sonnet 130 by William Shakespeare include, of course, beauty and an examination of it. However, this central theme incorporates a number of other thematic elements around it. For instance, like many examples of poems about beauty, the poem serves as a means of expressing love and adoration as well as celebrating the beauty of that person.

Regardless of these more traditional elements, Sonnet 130 by William Shakespeare is far from traditional in its presentation of these themes. Instead of focusing on an idealized version of some kind of perfect beauty, this poem examines how subjectivity falls into our ideas of beauty. Someone may not be beautiful in the more typical and traditional understanding of the word, but they are beautiful to us. This is the primary idea around which this poem is based.

Today, we have examined one of the best-known poems in the English language. This Sonnet 130 analysis has also included a look at the author behind it all, a separate look at some of the themes of Sonnet 130 by William Shakespeare, and a brief word on the naming conventions of the poetry collection in which this sonnet is found. Hopefully, this has provided a good and detailed understanding of Sonnet 130 by William Shakespeare for those who were unfamiliar with it before. However, there are many other Shakespearean poems out there that are also worthy of a good reading!

Frequently Asked Questions

What is sonnet 130 by william shakespeare.

This is one of the best-known Shakespearean sonnets. This poem is a satirical take on poems about beauty, and it can be seen as something of a mocking poem. It instead focuses on inner beauty rather than the kind of idealized beauty that is often found in many examples of poems about beauty.

Who Is William Shakespeare?

This figure is still seen as one of the most important in the history of the English language. He was a poet and playwright, who also worked as an actor, and he had a massive impact on English literature. His work includes many words and phrases that were never seen before, and so he either invented or recorded them for the first time. 

What Is Sonnet 130 About?

This sonnet is about a woman known as the Dark Lady. She is a figure who is the object of several sonnets in the collection of Shakespeare’s work. He compares her, unfavorably, to various beautiful things to instead focus on a more inner beauty that she exhibits. This is a satire on traditional poems about beauty, and, thanks to the language used, it can come across as mean-spirited at times.

What Are Other Famous Poems by William Shakespeare?

The poems of William Shakespeare are actually numbered, but we will mention a few of his most famous sonnets by the names they are best known by, which were all published in the same 1609 collection: Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day, Let me not to the marriage of true minds , and Weary with toil, I haste me to my bed . However, he wrote many other famous poems, but this has been a tiny selection of his many sonnets.

What Are the Themes of Sonnet 130 by William Shakespeare?

The principal themes of this immensely famous Shakespearean sonnet include beauty, love, a celebration of inner beauty, and subjectivity of perception. This is a stunning poem that explores beauty in an unconventional way.

Justin van Huyssteen is a freelance writer, novelist, and academic originally from Cape Town, South Africa. At present, he has a bachelor’s degree in English and literary theory and an honor’s degree in literary theory. He is currently working towards his master’s degree in literary theory with a focus on animal studies, critical theory, and semiotics within literature. As a novelist and freelancer, he often writes under the pen name L.C. Lupus.

Justin’s preferred literary movements include modern and postmodern literature with literary fiction and genre fiction like sci-fi, post-apocalyptic, and horror being of particular interest. His academia extends to his interest in prose and narratology. He enjoys analyzing a variety of mediums through a literary lens, such as graphic novels, film, and video games.

Justin is working for artincontext.org as an author and content writer since 2022. He is responsible for all blog posts about architecture, literature and poetry.

Learn more about Justin van Huyssteen and the Art in Context Team .

Cite this Article

Justin, van Huyssteen, ““Sonnet 130” by William Shakespeare – An In-Depth Analysis.” Art in Context. November 29, 2023. URL: https://artincontext.org/sonnet-130-by-william-shakespeare/

van Huyssteen, J. (2023, 29 November). “Sonnet 130” by William Shakespeare – An In-Depth Analysis. Art in Context. https://artincontext.org/sonnet-130-by-william-shakespeare/

van Huyssteen, Justin. ““Sonnet 130” by William Shakespeare – An In-Depth Analysis.” Art in Context , November 29, 2023. https://artincontext.org/sonnet-130-by-william-shakespeare/ .

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Sonnet 130: My Mistress’ Eyes are Nothing Like the Sun

by William Shakespeare

My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun; Coral is far more red than her lips’ red; If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun; If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head. I have seen roses damasked, red and white, But no such roses see I in her cheeks; And in some perfumes is there more delight Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks. I love to hear her speak, yet well I know That music hath a far more pleasing sound; I grant I never saw a goddess go; My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground. And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare As any she belied with false compare.

Summary of Sonnet 130

• Popularity of “ Sonnet 130”: William Shakespeare , a renowned English poet, playwright, and actor, “Sonnet 130” is a remarkable piece famous on account of its themes of love and appearance. It was first published in 1609. The poem speaks about the shortcomings of the speaker ’s beloved . It also illustrates how he loves her in spite of her flaws.
• “ Sonnet 130”, As a Representative of Love: This poem is an expression of love; the speaker admires his beloved, despite knowing her physical flaws. He explains her physical features are “uncatchy though,” yet she is beautiful in her own way. He talks about his lips, breasts, and hair, which looks like wires sticking on her head, and her cheeks also do not meet the ideal standard of beauty . Also, he talks about her unpleasant voice and compares her stinky breath with perfume. This strange comparison shows his acceptance of her flaws. As the poem progresses, he develops the idea that we should not set high standards in love. He accepts that his mistress is not a godlike figure. She is just an ordinary woman with lots of imperfections, and he admires and loves her despite those qualities.
• Major Themes in “Sonnet 130”: Love, appearances, and admiration are the major themes of this sonnet. The poem presents two things: the worldly standard of beauty and the poet’s definition of beauty. Throughout the poem, he talks about the physical features of his mistress that do not match the standards of beauty. She is not at all stunning or marvelous like a goddess, but he still loves and adores her. To him, she is unique and rare. That is why he does not measure his love on the worldly scale of beauty.

Analysis of Literary Devices Used in Sonnet 130

literary devices are tools used by writers and poets to convey their emotions, feelings, and ideas to the readers. Shakespeare has also used some literary devices to bring depth to this poem. The analysis of some of the literary devices used in this poem has been discussed below.

• Alliteration : Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line in quick succession. For example, the sounds of /b/, /w/ and /h/ in “If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head”, the sound of /th/ in “Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks” and the sound of /w/ in “If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun”.
• Consonance : Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line. For example, the sound of /h/ in “If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun” and the sound of /s/ in “As any she belied with false compare.”
• Enjambment : It is defined as a thought in verse that does not come to an end at a line break ; rather, it rolls over to the next line. For example;

“And in some perfumes is there more delight Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.”

• Hyperbole : Hyperbole is a device used to exaggerate a statement for the sake of emphasis. For example, Shakespeare exaggerates the mistress’ beauty by insulting her by using ordinary objects and contrasting her beauty to objects in nature.
• Imagery : Imagery is used to make the readers perceive things with their five senses. For example,

“ If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun; If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head. I have seen roses damasked, red and white.”

• Metaphor : It is used to compare an object or a person with something else to make meanings clear. For example, “If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head”.
• Simile : It is a figure of speech used to compare something with something else to make the meanings clear to the readers. Shakespeare has used this device in the opening lines of the poem, such as;

“My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun Coral is far more red than her lips’ red.”

Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in Sonnet 130

Poetic and literary devices are the same, but a few are used only in poetry. Here is an analysis of some of the poetic devices used in this rhyme .

• Sonnet : A sonnet is a fourteen-lined poem usually written in iambic pentameter . This Shakespearean sonnet consists of three quatrains and a couplet .
• Couplet : There are two constructive lines of verse in a couplet, usually in the same meter and joined by rhyme. This sonnet ends with a couplet, which usually reveals the central idea of the poem.
• Rhyme Scheme : The poem follows the ABAB CDCD EFEF GG rhyme scheme .
• End Rhyme : End Rhyme is used to make the stanza melodious. Shakespeare uses end rhyme in the poem. For example, “sun/dun”, “rare/compare”, “white/delight” and “know/go.”

Quotes to be Used

The lines stated below are suitable in a speech or lecture to glorify the positive attributes of true love.

“And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare As any she belied with false compare.”

Related posts:

• Sonnet 55: Not Marble nor the Gilded Monuments
• Sonnet 15: When I Consider Everything That Grows
• Sonnet 16: But Wherefore Do Not You a Mightier Way
• Sonnet 14: Not From The Stars Do I My Judgement Pluck
• Sonnet 12: When I Do Count The Clock That Tells The Time
• Sonnet 10: For shame deny that thou bear’st love to any
• Sonnet 11: As Fast As Thou Shalt Wane, So Fast Thou Grow’st
• Blow, Blow, Thou Winter Wind
• Speech: “Is this a dagger which I see before me
• Sonnet 17:  Who Will Believe My Verse in Time to Come
• My Last Duchess
• Ode to a Nightingale
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Sonnet 130 Analysis

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Background of the Poem

Historical context.

William Shakespeare is probably the most renowned writer in the history of English literature. He wrote more than thirty plays and more than 150 sonnets. His sonnets were published in a collection in 1609. Among these sonnets, sonnet 18, sonnet 29, sonnet 116, and sonnet 130 are the most famous ones.

 Shakespeare’s sonnet collection is usually divided into two parts. This division is made on the basis of the different people these sonnets address. The first part consists of 126 sonnets. These sonnets are addressed to a young guy. The speaker in these sonnets tells him about the mortality of life and the ways he can escape its clutches. These sonnets also stress the role of poetry in immortalizing its subjects. The second part consists of the remaining twenty-eight sonnets. The sonnets of this part are addressed to a female. This character is usually called “dark lady.” The speaker seems to have a troublesome relationship with her and speaks to her in a manner that is not typical of lovers. Sonnet 130 falls in this portion of the sonnet collection and is, therefore, considered to address this lady.  

Literary Context

In the fourteenth century, the Italian poet Petrarch introduced the genre of sonnets. The conventions of this genre were to follow a strict guideline of form and subject-matter. In form, the sonnet was required to be written in fourteen and that its meter should be iambic pentameter. In subject matter, the convention was to praise the beauty of a god-like beloved and narrate the events of the unsuccessful quests of winning her love. The description used to involve many clichéd comparisons where the speaker would compare his beloved with heavenly and worldly symbols of beauty.

Shakespeare, when he wrote his sonnets, followed the conventions of form but deviated in the subject matter. First of all, many of his sonnets did not address a female beloved. They were addressed to a young male. Secondly, the description of the beloved’s beauty is also not the same as the convention. When he addresses the black lady in his last twenty sonnets, he does not alleviate her to the status of gods. He considers her as much imperfect as other humans are.

Sonnet 130 is another example of Shakespeare’s treatment of the conventions of a sonnet. He follows the conventional form and writes it in fourteen lines. He also uses the conventional iambic pentameter and the division of sonnet into three quatrains and a couplet. However, he chooses a subject matter, which is exactly opposite to the traditional themes. He describes the flaws in his mistress’s beauty and stresses that his mistress is human and prone to imperfections.  He says that he will not exaggerate his mistress’s beauty to express his love. Instead, he will accept her for what she is, and that is the real and rare love.

Shakespeare maintains that his mistress is not a goddess but a human, and he is content with it. His mistress does not need to be as red as roses and as white as snow. Her grayish breasts and brownish cheeks are enough for him to love her. In this way, he mocks the conventional analogies by proving that they are mere talks and have no substance.

Sonnet 130 Summary (My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun)

First quatrain.

The speaker opens the poem with the description of his mistress. He says that his mistress’s eyes are in no way comparable to the sun. He says that the sun is far more bright and beautiful than the ordinary eyes of his mistress. He goes on to describe another aspect of his mistress’s beauty by comparing her lips and cheeks to corals. However, this comparison does not go in his beloved’s favor as well. He says that the redness of corals is far more than the redness of his mistress’s cheeks and lips.

In the third line, the speaker compares the whiteness of his mistress’s breast with the whiteness of snow. He says that if snow stands as the standard for whiteness, his mistress’s breast does not qualify for such whiteness. Instead, they are brownish in comparison to snow. He furthers this description by employing another analogy. He says that his mistress’s hair is not something extraordinary. He says that if it is allowed to label one’s hair as wires, it will be right to say that his mistress’s head is covered with wires.

Second Quatrain

In the second quatrain, the speaker describes the different aspects of his mistress’s beauty by comparing her to roses and perfume. He says that he has seen many different variants of roses. Some of those roses were red, some were white, and some were grayish pink. However, connecting roses with his mistress’s cheek seems irrational to him. He says that he has never seen such roses in the cheeks of his mistress.

In the third line of the quatrain, the speaker starts talking about perfumes. He says that there is a great deal of pleasure in the smell of perfumes. At the same time, the breath of his mistress is also pleasurable. However, the pleasure in his mistress’s breath is of lesser degree in comparison to the pleasure of perfumes. He uses the word “reek,” which shows that the breath of his mistress is unpleasant at times.

Third Quatrain

In the third quatrain, the speaker continues his mockery of comparisons of his mistress and the ideal symbols of beauty. He says that it brings a great deal of joy to hear to the voice of his mistress. The moments, when his mistress talks to him, are a source of delight for him. However, he says, there is another sound that is sweeter than his mistress’s voice. This sound is the sound of music, which has a far more pleasing effect on him.

Furthermore, the speaker mocks the comparison of beloveds to goddesses. He says that he has never seen a goddess in his life. Therefore, he has no knowledge of how the goddesses walk. However, he says that he is sure about one thing. He knows that his mistress walks on earth. Therefore, he knows that his mistress cannot be compared to a goddess.  

In the couplet, the speaker says that despite all the shortcomings of his mistress that he has described in the earlier line, he is in deep love with her. He considers his love rare because he is in love with an imperfect lady. He says that his love is as rare as anyone in the world. Similarly, his mistress is as beautiful as other women about whom people lie in their poetry.

Themes in Sonnet 130

Escape from idealism.

The major focus of the poem is to free poetry from the ideal form of description. All of the sonneteers of that time used elaborated analogies to describe how ideal and beautiful their beloveds are. Almost all of these descriptions used to be exaggerated and were no way near reality. In this poem, the speaker mocks this attitude. He does so by describing the features of his own mistress. He employs some of the most common comparisons that were used by the sonneteers and points out the fact that it is not humanly possible to reach that level.

How can someone’s breath be more delightful than the smell of perfumes? How can someone’s breast be as white as snow? How can someone’s lips and cheeks be as read as the coral? How can someone’s hair be like golden wires? How can someone’s voice be sweeter than music? How can someone’s walk match the walk of goddesses? The speaker questions the conventional depiction of beauty by asking these questions and negating them by saying that his mistress’s beauty is not of this level. Furthermore, he declares that all those people that describe their beloveds’ beauty are liars.

This satire not only points out the idealism in poetry but also in all the fields of life. It shows that ideal wishes can never be fulfilled in this world, and the people dealing with such ideal forms are nothing but liars. Humans should ready themselves to accept the world as it is with all its imperfections.

The poem addresses the problem of stereotyping the beauty of females by setting unreachable standards for it. It shows how males have set such out of the world expectations for the beauty of their female partners. We have created a fixed definition of beauty for all of the humans of the world when they are very diverse. Every person is different from another, and such stereotyping of beauty can never work. Rather, it will make the females inferior for not achieving the ideal standards of beauty.

The speaker stresses the point that poets have gone a step further by taking their standards of beauty above the level of goddesses. Such idealism questions the very essence of love. If we are not ready to accept the imperfections of humans, how can we love them? Therefore, the speaker says that his mistress is full of imperfections and that he still loves her as much as others can.

One of the major themes of the poem is love. The speaker is expressing his love for his beloved. In order to do so, he describes and defines his values of love. He says that his love is not based on the physical beauty of his beloved. His beloved is neither as white as snow, nor is her lips red like the coral. Still, he loves her with all his heart.

The speaker appears to have some kind of emotional bond with his mistress. He does not need any perfect physical beauty. Rather, his love is based on true emotions and feelings.

Sonnet 130 Analysis

The poem is a satire on the conventions of idealizing one’s beloved. It uses different devices like hyperbole, metaphor, and simile, to emphasize the absurdity of idealism in love. 

In the first quatrain, the speaker questions the idea of comparing humans to sun and corals. He says that his mistress’s eyes are not like sun and that her cheeks are not red like roses. He also mocks the tradition of comparing one’s breast to snow and hair with golden wires. In order to stress his point, he starts with an alliterative sound pattern in the first line. Similarly, there is consonance in this line which reflects his urgency in attacking the absurd analogies. He also goes on to use hyperbole by exaggeratedly claiming that his mistress’s hair is like black wires. 

In the second quatrain, the speaker points out two more absurd comparisons. He maintains that comparing someone’s cheeks to roses is absurd as he has never seen roses in his mistress’s cheeks. Furthermore, he negates the idea of comparing someone’s breath to perfume. He uses hyperbole and claims that his mistress’s breath reeks to highlight the difference between human breath and perfumes.

In the third quatrain, the speaker continues the same pattern of satire and mocks further traditional analogies. He says that he can neither claim that his mistress’s voice is more delightful nor can he say that she walks like goddesses. In the last line of this quatrain, the speaker employs exaggerated alliteration to express his annoyance with these absurd notions.

In the couplet, the flow of the sonnet takes a turn as the speaker brings volta. He claims that despite all the flaws, he is pure love in his heart for his mistress.

The tone of the poem is thoroughly satirical. The speaker satirizes all the set traditions of elaborated comparisons between one’s beloved and the symbols of beauty. Every line of the poem attacks the said conventions except for the last two lines. In those lines, the speaker takes time to elaborate on his love for his mistress. However, in doing so, he again claims that other lie when they unduly praise their beloveds.

The speaker of this poem is a realist lover. He describes his beloved features that are not so attractive. However, he has a strong belief in his love and says that his love is as rare as anyone in the world.

Rhyme Scheme

The rhyme scheme of this sonnet is traditional ababcdcdefefgg. The first twelve lines make three quatrains with an alternate sound pattern, and the last two lines make a rhyming couplet.

Literary Devices in Sonnet 130

Alliteration.

Alliteration is the repetition of the same starting consonant sound in a line. The very first line of the poem starts with an alliterative sound pattern where the speaker utters the word “My mistress’.” This type of start suggests the urgency in the speaker’s tone and shows that he is desperately trying to say convince the readers. 

In the third line, the speaker compares the whiteness of his beloved’s breast to the whiteness of snow. There the words “white, why” make another alliterative sound pattern. This device emphasizes the difference between the whiteness of the two.

In the fourth line, the speaker compares his beloved’s hair to wires. In this line, there are two alliterative sound patterns. The first pattern is made by the words “be” and “black,” while the  second is made by the words “hair,” “her,” and “head.” This type of repetitive sounds at the start of the words exhibits the disagreement of the speaker with this type of comparison.

In the eleventh line, there is another exaggerated alliteration.

“I grant I never saw a goddess go;”

Here the /g/ sound is repeated three times in the line. Through this device, the speaker conveys his annoyance with the comparison of humans and gods.

Hyperbole is an exaggerated overstatement or understatement in a literary piece. In the sonnet, the speaker exaggerates the flaws of his beloved to prove his point. He wants to prove that the convention of describing human beauty through false comparisons is wrong. In the fourth line, the speaker exaggeratedly says that his beloved’s head is covered with black wires. Similarly, in the eighth line, the speaker says that his beloved’s breath reeks, which is an exaggeration. The purpose of this exaggeration is to highlight the absurdity of the conventional comparisons of humans’ breath with perfumes.

Consonance is the repetition of the same consonant sound in a line. In the first line of the poem, the sound /s/ is repeated three times. In the second line, the sound /r/ is repeated four times. Similarly, /r/ sound is repeated twice in the third line. This clustering of similar sounds makes the poem appealing by giving it a rhyming effect.

Assonance is the repetition of the same vowel sound in a line. The sound /i/ is repeated in the first and second lines of the poem. Similarly, the /u/ sound is repeated twice in the sixth line. This device makes the poem appealing by giving it a rhyming effect.

A metaphor is an implicit comparison between two different things based on some similar quality. In this poem, the speaker compares his beloved’s hair to the wire by saying,

“black wires grow on her head.”

This metaphor serves the purpose of creating an image in the mind of the reader.

A simile is an explicit comparison between two different things based on some similar quality with the help of words like “as” or “like.”

In the poem, the speaker compares his mistress’s eyes to the sun in the first line.

Anaphora is the repetition of the same word at the start of consecutive lines. The third and fourth lines of the poem start with the word “if.” This device gives the poem a rhyming effect.

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Shakespeare's Sonnets - Sonnet 130

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This sonnet plays with poetic conventions in which, for example, the mistress’s eyes are compared with the sun, her lips with coral, and her cheeks with roses. His mistress, says the poet, is nothing like this conventional image, but is as lovely as any woman.

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Sonnet 130 Analysis Essay

Sonnet 130 is a poem written by William Shakespeare. Sonnet 130 is part of the Fair Youth Sonnets. Sonnet 130 talks about how the speaker will never love anyone as much as he loves his beloved (the “Fair Youth”). Sonnets are lyric poems that people commonly try to analyze through certain perspectives. Sonnets are usually written about a loved one, something the writer really cares about, or an idea that means something to them. Sonnet 130 is one of Shakespeare’s Sonnets.

Sonnet 130 talks about his complete love for somebody and how he will never love anybody as much as he loves this person. Sonnet 130 was written during the Renaissance Period by William Shakespeare. Sonnets were a popular form of short poems because it allowed people to express their emotions and thoughts in a way that could be interpreted differently depending on who you asked about them. Sonnet 130 is part of one of Shakespeare’s bigger collections known as The Fair Youth Sonnets, which talks about his complete love for a male subject referred to as “the young man” or “Fair Youth”.

Sonnet 130 goes into detail how he will never love anyone as much as he loves this person and then ends with a rhetorical question at the end asking himself why that is, since all other things have an end except love which has no limit so why does love have an end? Sonnet 130 is a poem written during the Renaissance Period and Sonnet 130 was written by William Shakespeare. Sonnet 130 talks about how nothing in life matters to him except his lover and that he will never love anyone as much as he loves them.

Sonnet 130 goes into detail about how no matter what happens, or what anyone else thinks of him, that they matter to him but his lover matters more than anything and everything. Sonnet 130 is a love poem written by William Shakespeare where he explains how nothing in the world matters to him other than his beloved (Fair Youth). Sonnets are poems that may be analyzed using different perspectives on who is reading it. Sonnets are usually written about a loved one, something that the writer really cares about, or an idea that may have meant something to them.

Sonnet 130 is part of William Shakespeare’s collection of Sonnets known as “The Fair Youth Sonnets”. Sonnet 130 talks about Shakespeare’s complete love for somebody and how he will never love anybody else as much as he loves them. Sonnet 130 talks about how nothing in life matters to him except his lover and that he will never love anyone else as much as he loves them. Sonnet 130 goes into detail on how no matter what happens, or who thinks of him, that they matter but his lover matters more than anything and everything.

Sonnet 130 starts out by saying “My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun”, Sonnet 130 starts out by saying how the speaker’s beloved’s eyes don’t even compare to the beautiful sky. Sonnet 130 then goes into detail that his lover is more radiant than any precious stone or gold because he says “Coral is far more red than her lips’ red”. Sonnet 130 ends with a rhetorical question asking himself why his lover matters so much even though everything in life has an end except love which does not have an end.

Sonnet 130 was written during the Renaissance Period and Sonnets were popular form of short poems during this time because it allowed people to express their feelings and thoughts in a way that could be interpreted differently depending on who you ask about it. Sonnet 130 is part of William Shakespeare’s collection known as “The Fair Youth Sonnets”. Sonnet 130 talks about how nothing in the world matters to him other than his beloved.

Sonnet 130 starts off by saying “My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun”, Sonnet 130 starts off by explaining how the speaker’s beloved’s eyes don’t even compare to something as beautiful as the sky. Sonnet 130 goes on say that his lover is more radiant than any precious stone or gold because he says “Coral is far more red than her lips’ red”. Sonnet 130 then ends with a rhetorical question asking why his lover means so much to him even though everything has an end except love which does not have an end.

Sonnet 130 goes on to say “One might think her poor, because she is so fair” Sonnet 130 goes on to say how she may seem like she doesn’t have any money but he explains that his beloved has more than enough. Sonnet 130 was written by William Shakespeare during the Renaissance Period and Sonnets were very popular form of short poems during this time because it allowed people to express their feelings and thoughts without having a certain meaning or way of thinking behind them since Sonnets were ambiguous. Sonnet 130 talks about how nothing in life matters except for his beloved.

Sonnet 130 by William Shakespeare, one of the most famous and quoted Sonnets. The Sonnets are a collection of 154 poems published in 1609 and dedicated to “the only begetter of these ensuing sonnets Mr. W.H.” Sonnet 130 is also known as “My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun” Sonnet 130 is written in the English Language, Sonnets are poems that have 14-lined rhymed stanzas. Sonnet 130 can be found in 1609 book by William Shakespeare called Sonnets.

My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun;

Coral is far more red than her lips’ red;

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

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

I have seen roses damasked, red and white,

But no such roses see I in her cheeks;

And in some perfumes is there more delight

Than in the breath that from mistress reeks.

I love to hear her speak, yet well I know

That music hath a far more pleasing sound;

I grant I never saw a goddess go–

My mistress when she walks treads on the ground.

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

As any she belied with false compare. Sonnet 130 is an English Sonnet written by William Shakespeare that talks about how he feels his lover isn’t nearly as wonderful as other men claim their lovers are. Sonnet 130 is one of 154 sonnets known today as Sonnets from the Portuguese, which were published in 1609 . Sonnets are 14 line poems that have rhyming couplets at the end of every two lines.. There are three quatrains and one couplet at the end of Sonnet 130. Sonnet 130 has an English ABABCDCDEFEFGG form. There are three quatrains in Sonnet 130. Sonnet 130 is written in iambic pentameter, which means that there are ten syllables per line with each line having one stressed syllable followed by an unstressed syllable, except for the tenth line that has two stressed syllables to conclude the couplet. The rhyme scheme used in Sonnet 130 is AABCCCDDEEFFE.

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In our class we have been discussing sonnet cxxx. Many of my classmates believe that Shakespeare was saying that, although this girl is ugly, he still loves her. While others claim that he was not making any statements about her looks, but instead being realistic. It is my view that he was making a point of claiming that his girlfriend was a regular person and not a mythological goddess. Most people have heard on television or in movies , some guy tell his girlfriend that she has eyes as deep as the ocean or lips as soft as velvet. Although these all sound very romantic they are probably not true.

In the first line of this sonnet, Shakespeare says “his mistress eyes are nothing like the sun” “. then he says that her lips are not as red as coral, and that her skin is not as white as snow . of coarse she doesnt have white skin no person has truly white skin. So to assume that he was stating that she was then dark and pail lipped would be wrong. One cannot claim, that since he says she is not one thing, that he must be implying she is the opposite. He goes on to say that perfume smells better than her breath. never says that In our class we have been discussing sonnet cxxx.

Many of my classmates believe that Shakespeare was saying that, although this girl is ugly, he still loves her. While others claim that he was not making any statements about her looks, but instead being realistic. It is my view that he was making a point of claiming that his girlfriend was a regular person and not a mythological goddess. Most people have heard on television or in movies , some guy tell his girlfriend that she has eyes as deep as the ocean or lips as soft as velvet.

Although these all sound very romantic they are probably not true. In the first line of this sonnet, Shakespeare says “his mistress eyes are nothing like the sun” “. en he says that her lips are not as red as coral, and that her skin is not as white as snow . of coarse she doesnt have white skin no person has truly white skin. So to assume that he was stating that she was then dark and pail lipped would be wrong. One cannot claim, that since he says she is not one thing, that he must be implying she is the opposite. He goes on to say that perfume smells better than her breath. never says that she has bad breath. In Shakespeares time people would cover themselves in perfume to mask their body odder. Most people didnt brush their teeth.

So it seams obvious that to them perfume smelled better that any part of a person. He then says that music sounds better than her voice. This was probably true as well, unless she was an opera singer whos every word sounded like an aria. Some people will claim that he likened her breasts to excrement (dun). I think that he was making an analogy. He was saying that her skin is closer to the color brown than to white. I think that Shakespeare was making a contention against the style of poetry of the time which was of the romantic movement , particular to the Elizabethan era.

This sonnet and most of his other sonnets seem to be of the realist movement, which leans toward stating things as they are and not as they appear to be. In conclusion, I dont see any evidence that he was saying that she was ugly. I see that he was making a literary stand against what was popular at the time (and what is still popular in our culture). It is a fallacy of reason to state that since an author says that something is not true, that the opposite must be true. It think that he was making point to keep his view of this girl in perspective.

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