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Poetry Foundation presents William Shakespeare’s famous poem, Sonnet 130, titled “My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun.” According to Spacey, the poem talks of a mistress who does not conform to the conventional standards of beauty. Shakespeare compares the mistress with the beautiful things of life, but he finds none that perfectly fits the mistress. In this regard, Shakespeare challenges traditional beliefs and offers a new perspective on what it means to love a woman. Also, he argues that true love never focuses on the mistress’ shortcomings.
Masterfully, Shakespeare writes a 14-lined sonnet, which he divides into three quatrains and couplets at the closing. He skillfully uses a cross rhyme in the quatrains, which are (abab cdcd, and off), and the last two lines are couplet with a (gg) rhyme scheme. Spacey adds that Shakespeare applies an iambic pentameter in his poem. Furthermore, Sparknotes mention that this poem represents the time that its author lived, considering its formal approach. Nevertheless, a closer examination of the poem line by line brings a different understanding.
In the first line, Shakespeare introduces the protagonist of the poem. He mentions that “my mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun.” With such a descriptive tone, it is up to Shakespeare’s audiences to be able to imagine and determine what the mistress looks like. He arouses the feeling that he is talking about his true love. It is captivating how he uses the alliteration “my mistress” and later proceeds to introduce a new thought in the last couplet. Shakespeare compares the mistress’ eyes with the sun, but still, the sun is incomparable to those eyes (Spacey). It is worth noting that the sun is amongst the most crucial elements on earth, making a top-notch comparison, and it expresses the level of expectations that society has on women.
Spacey proceeds to explain that the focus is on the mistress’ lips asserting that coral is redder than her lips. Here, Shakespeare uses objects of nature to explain her mistress. Noteworthy is the concept that the color red represents a sensual feeling. Therefore, when Shakespeare compares the red color in corals and the mistress’ lips, he means that the mistress has no commitment to appear sensually attractive to men.
Shakespeare proceeds to explain her mistress’ anatomy in the third and fourth lines. Notably, the first quatrain in the 3rd and 4th lines ends with the word “if.” From an everyday perspective, the name always stands for unfulfilled expectations. For instance, Shakespeare talks of her breasts, which are not white like snow, and proceeds to say that black wires seem to grow on her head (Sparknotes). With this argument, Shakespeare portrays how former societies have discriminated against women of color, and therefore, automatically, white women will accumulate more respect. On the other hand, he uses the words “black” and “wires” indicating that the mistress’ hair is not pleasant.
Shakespeare appears to be speaking from the fifth line and uses the colors red and white, which were already used in the poem. The repetition shows that the mistress has no black-and-white color. From the 7th to the 8th line, Shakespeare compares the mistress with perfume and her. In this light, Shakespeare stresses that his mistress’ breath smells terrible, that her smell “reeks.” Such strong statements show that no one will form a relationship with the mistress.
However, in the 9th and 10th lines, Shakespeare mentions something positive about the mistress, and that’s her voice. In lines 11 and 12, Shakespeare compares the mistress with a goddess. He asserts that “I have never seen a goddess walk,” but the mistress “treads on the ground.” He uses hyperbole to express the ideals of beauty at that time. Shakespeare later admits that he has never “seen a goddess go,” yet a goddess is the highest form of beauty that anyone could ever imagine. It’s worth mentioning how Shakespeare compares the mistress with corals, which grow under the sea, and later, a goddess who can fly in the air. The goddess symbolizes the highest form of beauty, while the coral is the lowest form, and yet, the mistress does not fit even in the lowest of standards.
The first 12 lines of the sonnet tell that of a woman who is unworthy of love. However, the final couplet completely turns the narrative around. In the 11th line, Shakespeare mentions that “I think my love is rare.” The speaker confesses the love he has for the mistress, although the woman does not meet the societal standards of that time. In the closing line, Shakespeare states that “as any, she belied with false compare,” which means that the mistress has been compared with ridiculous elements that do not fit her personality. This statement is an attack on men who view women as objects to admire. However, the speaker in the poem looks into the woman, that is, her inner beauty, and even though the mistress does not meet societal standards of the time, she is still beautiful and lovable in her sight. Overall, Shakespeare uses this sonnet to teach that a woman’s value and real love go much further beyond just looks.
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