Sonnet 130 text. Sonnet 130: Meaning, Summary & Shakespeare 2022-10-27
Sonnet 130 text
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Sonnet 130, titled "My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun," is a poem written by William Shakespeare that playfully mocks the typical Petrarchan sonnet's depiction of a woman as a perfect, unattainable goddess. In contrast, Shakespeare's speaker openly admits that his mistress is not conventionally beautiful, but he still loves and appreciates her for who she is.
The poem begins with the speaker declaring that his mistress' eyes are "nothing like the sun," a common metaphor for beauty in Renaissance literature. He goes on to describe her various physical features, stating that her lips are not as red as coral and her skin is not as white as snow. He also mentions that her hair is not as golden as the sun and her voice is not as sweet as music.
Despite these less-than-flattering comparisons, the speaker does not seem to mind his mistress' imperfections. In fact, he seems to find them endearing and even prefers them to the exaggerated beauty of the traditional Petrarchan mistress. He says that his mistress' eyes are "gray and ordinary," but he still finds them beautiful. He also admits that he does not need her to be perfect, saying that "I love to hear her speak, yet well I know / That music hath a far more pleasing sound."
Overall, Sonnet 130 is a humorous and affectionate poem that celebrates the unique beauty of the speaker's mistress. It challenges the idea that true beauty must conform to certain societal standards and instead suggests that real beauty lies in the unique qualities of an individual. The speaker's love for his mistress is genuine and unconditional, and he finds joy in her imperfections rather than being disappointed by them.
Shakespeare's Sonnets Sonnet 130 Translation
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And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare But by heaven I think my beloved is just as special. But in the rhyming couplet, he turns it all around. . Most importantly, the sonnet does not blatantly present its theme; instead, the sonnet veils its premise to ensure its integrity as a work in the genre. His love for her is more real than a love that needs to do those things. She is not at all stunning or marvelous like a goddess, but he still loves and adores her. If hairs can be compared with wires then black hairs grow on her head.
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Sonnet 130 Analysis
And yet, by heaven, I think that my love is as unique as any woman who is the subject of a romantic poem. Sonnet 130: My mistress' eyes are nothing like… Poetry Foundation agenda angle-down angle-left angleRight arrow-down arrowRight bars calendar caret-down cart children highlight learningResources list mapMarker openBook p1 pin poetry-magazine print quoteLeft quoteRight slideshow tagAudio tagVideo teens trash-o. Readers are less likely to recognize the last allusion because it does not tie as directly to sonnets in general or love as the others. The larger implication, I think, is that no real love needs to boast of itself in this way. Though most likely written in the 1590s, the poem wasn't published until 1609. But, by heaven, I think my love as rare As any other woman misrepresented by false comparisons.
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Sonnet 130
A literary blazon or blason catalogues the physical attributes of a subject, usually female. The blazon tradition is a poetic trope in which the speaker fragments his lover in order to describe each part as individually perfect—eyes as bright as the sun, lips as red as a rose, skin as white as snow, etc. Readers wonder why Shakespeare would highlight the flaws of the woman he loves so they hypothesize his intent. Most obviously, Shakespeare uses rhyme and rhythm to make the poem more aesthetically pleasing. Because Shakespeare recognizes her bodily shortcomings, he uses his true love to contrast lust. D Third Quatrain; Or, The Turn I love to hear her speak , yet well I know E That mu sic hath a far more pleas ing sound.
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Sonnet 130: My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun Poem Summary and Analysis
I grant I never saw a goddess go; My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground. 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. Only those familiar with sonnets and their characteristic exaggeration would comprehend his censure of misrepresenting the muse. My mistress when she walks treads on the ground My beloved only walks on the ground. My mistress's eyes are nothing like the sun; Coral is far redder than the red of her lips; If snow is white, then her breasts are a dull brown; If hairs are wires , black wires grow on her head; I have seen Damask roses , red and white, But I do not see the color of roses in her cheeks; And some perfumes are more delightful Than the breath that reeks out of my mistress.
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Sonnet 130: My mistress' eyes are nothing like…
Golden hair I guess being more desirable to Elizabethan poets? Many men in the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries composed sequences of sonnets about women whom they loved. They come from the red and white cross featured on the banners of Saint George, the patron saint of England. Lots of these blazon writers all spoke about hair being golden wires. And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare As any she belied with false compare. While sonnet 130 follows the basic style of sonnet writing, it subtly criticizes the woman by comparing her to wonderful things and stating her inadequacies. ² and displays subtle disdain for relationships ³belied by false comparison.
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No Fear Shakespeare: Shakespeare’s Sonnets: Sonnet 130
The one on the left presents a list of literary elements that are usually contained in poems whereas the column on the right can easily be filled out by the student or the class. I love to hear her speak, but I also know that That music has a much more pleasing sound. I admit that I never saw a goddess walking, My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground. 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 pérfumes is there more delight Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks. Yet the imperfections add up to a beguiling, admiring portrait of his lover.
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Sonnet 130: My Mistress' Eyes Are Nothing Like The Sun
Rather than hold the lady on an idealized pedestal, the speaker brings her down to earth. Just like the rest of us. I love to hear her speak, yet well I know I love hearing her speak but I know… Another two-line thought. ² The sound-oriented devices Compositely, Shakespeare does a wonderful job in his 130th sonnet. If snow is white, all I can say is that her breasts are a brownish grey colour. I love her voice although I know that music is more pleasing to the ear.
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Sonnet 130 Full Text and Analysis
Go back and see if you can find the others. Shakespeare's poem also departs from his contemporaries in terms of formal structure — it is a new kind of sonnet—the "Shakespearean" sonnet. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem. He takes account of her numerous imperfections, from her reeking breath to her gray complexion. If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head If hairs are wire, then her hair grows black wires. I love to hear her speak, yet well I know That music hath a far more pleasing sound. He takes the tradition of the blazon—the love poem in which the poet lists the best characteristics of the beloved—and turns the form on its head.
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