Sonnet Analysis-Sonnet 130 by William Shakespeare
I will be writing about “Sonnet 130” that was written in 1609 by William Shakespeare. The theme of this sonnet is romance, but it isn’t the conventional love poem were you praise your mistress and point out to the readers all the ways in which she is perfect and the best. In this sonnet we could see that beauty isn’t a rush when you talk about love and how does Shakespeare compares her mistress appearance to things which she isn’t, this means her mistress isn’t the like a “Super model” however he loves her imperfections because those are the ones which make her a human.
In the first quatrain of the sonnet we could see more clearly what I told above.
“My mistress’ eyes are nothing like
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The rhyme scheme is typical of a sonnet, it has an (abab, cdcd, efef, gg) 14 line rhyme structure , this type of rhyme helps us understand better the poem and enjoy it more, as it gives an more interesting and organize effect. Shakespeare uses hyperbole, metaphors and comparisons as literary devices to develop the point we want to give on this sonnet, as the same time this literacy devices create a more interesting effect, as it gives the reader the opportunity to be more open minded and have better images of what the speaker is talking about, and don’t have an abstract image of it.
In conclusion, we can see how Shakespeare doesn’t use false comparisons, he avoids the unrealistic adjectives which could be find in other sonnets of authors describing how perfect her mistress is, he instead prefers to give the reader a more honest description about the women he loves. He describes all her imperfections but he still loves her just the way she
“To my Dear and Loving Husband” written by Anne Bradstreet, is the story of a woman admiring love for her husband. On the other hand, “My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun” written by William Shakespeare, is the story of the love a man feels for an imperfect woman. Although the two poems are about love, they interpret it in different ways through rhythmic structure, and emotional expression. “To my Dear and Loving Husband” has an impeccable rhythmic alignment. It starts with repeating “if ever” three times in the first three lines.
Billy Collins, in his sonnet “Sonnet,” describes the content of sonnets in general, the Elizabethan sonnet, and the Petrarchan sonnet. Collins develop this idea, by stating that “All we need is fourteen lines,” to explain to a reader that all sonnets consist of fourteen lines; secondly, he metaphorically describes how a sonnet’s purpose is to “launch a little ship on love's storm-tossed seas,” to show the reader that sonnets are normally meant to be about love and the complications that come with it; thirdly, by stating that the “iambic bongos must be played and rhymes positioned at the ends of lines,” he metaphorically describes the rhythmic and rhyming limitations of the Elizabethan or Shakespearean sonnet; fourthly, he states that “ the
Stylistically Sonnet shares very few similarities to the two major forms of sonnets. It contains an octave and a sestet as the Petrarchan sonnet does as well. Beyond this sole equivalence, Sonnet takes a sharp right turn and boasts its uniqueness. Rhythmically there are only three lines in Sonnet that show regular iambics. The lines are “then only ten more left like rows of beans” / “and rhymes positioned at the ends of lines” / “blow out the lights, and come at last to bed” (Spacey). There are no other noticeable rhyme schemes at play. The entire sonnet is essentially casual-toned free verse. Another deliberate breakaway from the typical conventions of a sonnet are the multiple enjambments found between lines two and ten. We also see literary devices at play like anaphoras in lines: six, seven, eleven and twelve. Additionally, there is some alliteration in line three, six, and nine. Now that I have touched on the stylistic similarity and differences, I’m going to discuss the tone of Sonnet.
Despite the similarities, “Sonnet 130” has a slight twist at the end that the reader does not expect. Even though the poem is steeped with negative connotation, the speaker reveals that he still loves his companion. When the reader breaks down the poem line by line, the speaker is saying that even though his lover is rather unattractive, he still loves her for who she is: “And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare As any she belied with false compare” (13-14). This can also be a life lesson, showing how people sometimes only focus on what is on the outside, but it is the personality, trust, and other important characteristics that really matter in life. On the contrary, West focuses on a negative connotation and his hatred throughout the whole entire song by saying how cold she is because of the heartbreak he went through.
The title suggests that the poem is gonna be about a sonnet. Maybe the sonnet is for Shakespeare's mistress. The poem is about Shakespeare making fun of his mistress. Shakespeare is saying all this mean stuff about his mistress. We can tell by the poem that his mistress is not pretty.
Donne even goes so far as to command God to destroy the person he has
In Shakespeare’s sonnet 116 he realistically describes love in more of a romantic way, but still conserves the realism of love lasting through rough times. In this sonnet personification is used to describe how as death approaches, good looks fade, but if two people's love is true, then their deep affection will not end because of this: “Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks / Within his bending sickle's compass come” (lines 9-10). The personification of love and time brings forth the idea of them physically stealing a loved one’s outer beauty; however, if two people are truly in love, the loss of one’s beauty should not matter as described later in sonnet 116 and in the tone. The tone of determination is used to describe how if two people have a strong enough bond, their love should last through the hard times in life: “Love is not love / Which alters when it alteration finds, / Or bends with the remover to remove” (lines 2-4). The affection between two people should not be changed or taken away, if their love does change, then they did not have determination to love in the first place. Both of these sonnets show great representations of
By doing so, Shakespeare further implies that it is not the physical perfections, or having a voice as lovely as music that make up love, but rather personality and more skin-deep qualities that make up true love. The utilization of excellent diction, and the use of paradox and allegory techniques throughout conveys to the reader the admirable tone the speaker seems to have for his love, and the realistic point Shakespeare tries to prove in that love is not just simply looks, but character and quality of a person that form a truer and deeper bond.
Sonnet 6 is notable for the ingenious multiplying of conceits and especially for the concluding pun on a legal will in the final couplet: "Be not self-willed, for thou art much too fair / To be death's conquest and make worms thine heir." Here, as earlier in the sonnet, the poet juxtaposes the themes of narcissism and death, as well as procreation. "Self-willed" echoes line 4's "self-killed," and the worms that destroy the young man's dead body will be his only heirs should he die without begetting a child which shows the theme of death. The whole sonnet is about trying to persuade the man to have a baby hence the theme if procreation. And lastly, the man is being selfish in wanting to die without passing on his beauty.
William Shakespeare is recognized for being one of greatest poets of all time. His works are still popular to this day. Many of his works included extended metaphors and similes with rhetorical language and were rooted in the nature of love. Two of his poems that are rather alike, but also very contrastive are “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?” and “My mistresses’ eyes are nothing like the sun.” They both contain a core theme of love or anti-love in some aspects. While these two poems are built around the same type of subject, their interpretations come across in separate ways. In contrast to Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 18” which is a serious love poem that contains imagery and metaphors, Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 130” is more negative and humorous but contains imagery and similes.
The title of the poem “My mistress eyes are nothing like the sun” suggests that the speaker is not in love with his ‘mistress’. However, this is not the case. Shakespeare uses figurative language by using criticizing hyperboles to mock the traditional love sonnet. Thus, showing not only that the ideal woman is not always a ‘goddess’, but mocking the way others write about love. Shakespeare proves that love can be written about and accomplished without the artificial and exuberant. The speaker’s tone is ironic, sarcastic, and comical turning the traditional conceit around using satire. The traditional iambic pentameter rhyming scheme of the sonnet makes the diction fall into place as relaxed, truthful, and with elegance in the easy flowing verse. In turn, making this sonnet one of parody and real love.
Shakespeare examines love in two different ways in Sonnets 116 and 130. In the first, love is treated in its most ideal form as an uncompromising force (indeed, as the greatest force in the universe); in the latter sonnet, Shakespeare treats love from a more practical aspect: it is viewed simply and realistically without ornament. Yet both sonnets are justifiable in and of themselves, for neither misrepresents love or speaks of it slightingly. Indeed, Shakespeare illustrates two qualities of love in the two sonnets: its potential and its objectivity. This paper will compare and contrast the two sonnets by Shakespeare and show how they represent two different attitudes to love.
Shakespeare's My Mistress' Eyes Are Nothing Like the Sun Many authors compose sonnets about women whom they loved. Most of these authors embellish their women's physical characteristics by comparing them to natural wonders that we, as humans, find beautiful. Shakespeare's "My Mistress' Eyes Are Nothing Like the Sun" contradicts this idea, by stating that his mistress lacks most of the qualities other men wrongly praise their women for possessing. Shakespeare presents to one that true love recognizes imperfections and feels devotion regardless of flaws, while satirically expressing his personal thoughts on Petrarchan sonnets.
The first quatrain of Shakespeare “Sonnet 130” reinforces his idea of real “beauty”. The images of an imperfect body and exceptional hair gives the sonnet a contradictory tone. If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun (line, 3). Shakespeare reveals the imperfection of women through this line. For men breasts characterizes
Sonnets 127-154 are addressed to the “dark lady” (hereafter the mistress). Shakespeare’s relations to his mistress vacillate; sometimes sanguine, tender, teasing, or bitterly anger; yet it is a simpler relation than that