Sonnet 130 by William Shakespeare

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Sonnet 130 by William Shakespeare

• An unconventional love poem about the Dark Lady

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What is a sonnet?

• A sonnet is a 14 line poem which traditionally is
  used as a way to declare love for someone you
  say brilliant things about them and tell them how
  much you love them!
• What sort of things would you put in a sonnet?
  Think of ways to compliment someone did they
  feature in your original list of love poetry?
• Shakespeare wrote 154 sonnets. The lady spoken
  about in this sonnet is featured in Sonnets 127
  to 154. she is known as The Dark Lady
• Early sonnets are based on the Petrachan model
  (which follows a different rhyme scheme),
  however, the focus of the sonnet remains the same
  idolising the woman and making her an
  inspiration.

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Sonnet 130 by William Shakespeare

• My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sunCoral
  is far more red than her lips' redIf snow be
  white, why then her breasts are dunIf hairs be
  wires, black wires grow on her head.I have seen
  roses damask'd, red and white,But no such roses
  see I in her cheeksAnd in some perfumes is
  there more delightThan in the breath that from
  my mistress reeks.I love to hear her speak, yet
  well I knowThat music hath a far more pleasing
  soundI grant I never saw a goddess goMy
  mistress, when she walks, treads on the
  groundAnd yet, by heaven, I think my love as
  rareAs any she belied with false compare.

A sonnet 14 lines iambic pentameter carefully
patterned rhyme scheme. Often used in love
poetry Its perfect form could be seen to reflect
the perfect nature of love and romance
The iambic pentameter is similar to a heartbeat.
Try reading it!
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• My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun A
• Coral is far more red than her lips' red B
• If snow be white, why then her breasts are dunA
• If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.
  B
• I have seen roses damask'd, red and white,C
• But no such roses see I in her cheeks D
• And in some perfumes is there more delight C
• Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.
  D
• I love to hear her speak, yet well I know E
• That music hath a far more pleasing soundF
• I grant I never saw a goddess go E
• My mistress, when she walks, treads on the
  groundF
• And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare G

Notice the rhyme scheme ABAB and then ends in a
rhyming couplet.
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In a conventional love poem the writer would
exaggerate how beautiful his mistress is
Eyes and lips are traditionally compared and are
features of female beauty
A traditional comparison
nothing is a criticism
My mistress' eyes are more fantastic than the
sun
But in his unconventional love poem Shakespeare
underplays how beautiful his mistress is
My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun
He has turned around the convention of
exaggerated praise
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He carries on with the unconventional approach in
the next lines
Conventional desirable feature
Her lips aren't red
Pink-orange colour
Coral is far more red than her lips' red
Something of a cliche
The conventional
Grey, brown colour
If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun
Is he saying she is not beautiful or is he
saying she is beautiful in a different way?
Can we answer this or do we need to read on?
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In the next lines he moves on to describe other
physical features
Hair was often compared to golden wires or
threads, so hes saying her hair looks ugly!
If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.
So she is not conventionally beautiful
Gold wires were used in head-dress and compared
to golden hair
Blondes were more highly rated
mixed
I have seen roses damask'd, red and white
What is he saying here? Would you be offended at
this point?
But she doesnt have this complexion
A woman would usually be compared to something
like a rose
But no such roses see I in her cheeks
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The author moves from how she looks to how she
smells
reeks would not have been as insulting then but
still quite rude!
It was part of the courtly tradition of love to
declare (and believe) that the goddess whom
one adored had virtually no human qualities.
And in some perfumes is there more delight Than
in the breath that from my mistress reeks.
Smells- the word didnt have a negative
meaning in Shakespeares time
Hes not saying the smell of her breath is
unpleasant - just that perfume smells sweeter
In conventional love poems you would say her
breath was sweeter than perfume
But Shakespeare takes an unconventional approach
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The next feature is the sound of her voice
I love to hear her speak, yet well I know That
music hath a far more pleasing sound
Why is her voice not perfect? What reservations
has Shakespeare still got? And where is this
shown?
Hes not being critical of her voice all hes
saying is that music has a more pleasing sound
In the conventional love poem the writer would
say that her voice was sweeter than music
A turning point in the poem he actually likes
something about her!! A direct statement he
would rather listen to his mistress than music,
even though music sounds superior.
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The poet describes how his mistress walks
However, divine comparisons are not relevant, for
his beloved is beautiful without having to be a
Goddess. He is being REALISTIC about her.
I admit to you
Ive never seen a goddess walk
I grant I never saw a goddess go My mistress,
when she walks, treads on the ground
My mistress walks like anyone else, on the
ground, rather than floating through the air
In a conventional love poem she would be
described as a goddess
Hes stressing his mistress is no goddess.
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So does the poet think that his mistress is
beautiful or what?
The last two lines are inset, making them stand
out.
Ends in a rhyming couplet
The last 2 lines tell us
Direct statement, telling us what he thinks
This exclamation shows real feeling, he does love
her after all.
exceptional
And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare As
any she belied with false compare.
For emphasis
Any woman
The poet thinks shes beautiful but doesnt want
to describe her in a cliched way.
She is as beautiful as any woman who is praised
with false comparisons
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A sonnet has 14 lines
rhyme scheme ABAB
The first 12 lines are 3 quatrains
Groups of 4 lines
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.
With a closing couplet
And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare As
any she belied with false compare.
Sums things up
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The rhyme scheme emphasises the rhyming couplet
at the end this is where the true nature of
his feelings is revealed.

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

Shakespeare is breaking the tradition of love
poetry the idea of courtly love is replaced with
something more real, more genuine.
Shakespeare is mocking clichés he wants to show
real love as something deeper than a string of
unrealistic compliments.
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And yet, by heaven, I think my love as
rareAs any she belied with false compare.

• The poet is satirising the tradition of comparing
  ones love to all things beautiful, divine and
  immortal.
• He makes many negative comparisons.
• But these final lines suggest that she is beyond
  all these things just by being herself mortal
  and approachable.
• Rare precious, superb, of fine and unusual
  quality
• He thinks that his love is more special, than
  those which are based on superficial comparisons.

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Sonnet 130 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.