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Sonnet 130 Analysis

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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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The Sonnet: My Mistress’ Eyes Are Nothing Like the Sun Essay

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Introduction

Structuralist approach, sonnet analysis, concluding remarks, works cited.

The literary value of William Shakespeare’s sonnets can be discussed in a variety of contexts. For some, the sonnets are associated with cultural ciphers that only sophisticated people at dinner parties understand. For others, Shakespeare’s sonnets are literary works that “everybody wants to have read and nobody wants to read” (Paterson).

To introduce the analysis of Shakespeare’s Sonnet 130, “My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun,” it is important to mention a brief history of sonnets themselves. Shakespeare wrote a total of 154 poems that were first published in 1609. The sonnets are completely different from his plays, although they also contain elements of dramaturgy as well as the general sense of storytelling. Every poem has a specific topic that can be discussed either separately or in the context of other poems.

Unfortunately, too little is known about Shakespeare’s life to say for sure whether his sonnets were autobiographical in meaning; therefore, readers usually perceive them as written by a “speaker.” Despite the fact that the usual approach to analyzing poems and sonnets is to divide literary devices and assess their value, it is proposed to use the structuralist approach and analyze Sonnet 130 as a system of artifacts and signs that bear a specific meaning when combined.

While Shakespeare’s sonnets can be analyzed through different approaches, this analysis will use the structuralist approach to assess the attitudes of the speaker towards his beloved woman in Sonnet 130. In linguistics, structuralism is an approach that studies relationships between signs and systems instead of analyzing them in isolation or “a mode of analysis of cultural artifacts which originates in the methods of contemporary linguistics” (Culler 4). Therefore, structuralism can be regarded as an approach that is based on the supposition that if actions of human beings have a specific meaning, there should be a system of conventions that enables the existence of that meaning. For example, when confronted by the ceremony of baptism, an observer from a culture where baptism does not exist may not regard it as a cultural phenomenon. Procedures and actions that take place during baptism are only understandable to the representatives of the culture in which the tradition is considered common.

If to explain how the structuralist approach will be applied in the context of Shakespeare’s Sonnet 130, the whole meaning of the poetic piece will be assessed by combining the value of each verse. Within such an interpretation of the Sonnet, exploring artifacts (verses) with meaning and not physical phenomena will allow the analyst to make distinguishments between them while enabling to bear meaning within “the symbolic system from which they derive” (Culler 6).

Each artifact (verse) will be considered as a structure in itself that is defined with the help of the place they hold within the unified structure. It is important to mention that the grammatic structure of the Sonnet will play no part in the structuralist analysis since it did not have any connections to the development of structuralism itself. If to mention Chomsky’s approach towards structuralism in relation to linguistics, he postulated that language makes people see the role of structural linguistics, what practices are involved in it, and whether accounts of the discipline were either insufficient or misleading (Culler 5). Lastly, within the system of structuralism that makes it possible for one to judge a meaning through a combination of different factors, signs are vital components that can explain the significance of a specific phenomenon. Signs are composed of “significant” and “signifiers” (Culler 18), which refer to form and meaning; however, there can be different connections between the two components when it comes to various types of signs.

“My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun” is a sonnet that is far more complex than it presents to be from first glance. It mocks the tradition of poets to elevate the beauty of women beyond real-life situations. In the poem, Shakespeare took a completely different approach and set a tone of a realistic description of a woman of his time. The key theme of the Sonnet is that women should be valued for who they are as individuals and not for their looks. Structures that exist within the poem all point to the authors’ efforts to transfer the reality of life into words. The following paragraphs analyze the artifacts (verses) with the help of the structuralist approach.

“My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun” is the line that opens the Sonnet; it is a direct mockery of poets who usually compare the beauty of their beloved women with that of the sun (Shakespeare 136). Without reading the passages that follow the opening line, one may think that the sonnet’s author wrote an offensive letter to his former mistress. The second line reads as follows: “Coral is far redder than her lips red” (Shakespeare 136). Again, it may seem that the poet has nothing of value to say about his present or former mistress. However, if to dig deeper into the meaning of the two lines and analyze them as one structure, it will become evident that mockery of the romantic style is present. For instance, if to compare this verse with Watson’s Sonnet 7: “Her lips redder than any Coral stone,” a direct relationship between the two can be seen (qtd. in Forsyth 94). Combining the two passages and reviewing them as one structure allows readers to discover that the author intended to mock his fellow poets who used overly romanticized language.

The following two lines, “If snow is white, why then her breasts are dun; If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head” can be considered disrespectful if taken out of context and judged separately (Shakespeare 136). Epithets such as “dun” do not favorably describe a woman; similarly, comparing hair to black wires can be viewed as negative in tone. Lines that follow also include negative comparisons of the mistress’ beauty and different phenomena from nature “I have seen roses damasked, red and white; But no such roses in her cheeks; And in some perfumes is there more delight; than in the breath that from my mistress reeks” (Shakespeare 136).

Everything in the Sonnet 130 points to the fact that beauty is subjective and cannot be used as for describing one’s value. To those who are not acquaintant with the poetry of the sixteenth century, the Sonnet may seem rude because it does not elevate a woman’s beauty and does not pay any compliments that are considered essential when composing a poem. However, those who understand the standard characteristics of sonnet writing will judge the poem as a separate structure that is different to others: Shakespeare tried to use as many stereotypical comparisons of a woman’s beauty with natural phenomena to mock the way other poets described their beloved women.

The structuralist approach to the analysis of Shakespeare’s sonnet calls for the identification of its value as a literary piece that was written at the time when there was a tradition of elevating beauty over other qualities women have. Shakespeare’s Sonnet 130 “My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun” is a unique piece that disregarded the norm and tradition in order to let readers understand that beauty is not the only valuable characteristic that describes a human being. Vital lines “And yet by heaven I think my love as rare, as any she belied with false compare” that conclude the sonnet are crucial to take into consideration when discussing its value (Shakespeare 136).

They hold the key theme of the piece, that despite the lack of “traditional” beauty a woman can be still loved and appreciated for who she is as an individual. The author calls his love rare and that which does not need to be compared with anything or anyone else. In the context of the structuralist approach, there is a stark contrast between the two first and the last two lines of the sonnet. If to judge them separately, one can think that the author changed his opinion about his mistress; however, if to assess the entire piece as a combination of artifacts, it can be concluded that there is a logical structure that leads the author to a positive conclusion about his subject of admiration.

It is crucial to understand that discussing a short literary piece through using the structuralist approach implies combining different components of the sonnet into one structure and judging it as a unity (Hawkes 101). Therefore, the analysis above did not include the assessment of separate literary devices or grammatic structures, which is inherent to the traditional way of reviewing poetic pieces. When it comes explaining the meaning of the Sonnet as a system of conventions that enable the existence of that meaning, it is noteworthy that Shakespeare went against conventions and traditions associated with poetry writing of the sixteenth century, giving his sonnet an entirely new meaning. While some level of irony and mockery was present “between the lines,” the key theme of the Sonnet was rather serious.

Shakespeare broke the boundaries of the social conventions that dictated men only to say positive things about the beauty of women and disregard their individual qualities; the structuralist approach towards the analysis of his sonnet was effective for distinguishing between literary devices that characterize the tone of the piece and the structure that combines those devices into one unity. As structuralism in literature refers to the relations between forms and meaning, it can be concluded that Sonnet 130 bore a meaning that was quite detached from the form: while the form was somewhat negative in tone, the overall meaning was positive (Lye). The analysis showed that “My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun” is more than a poem about a man’s subject of adoration but the urge to the society to abandon the tradition of elevating beauty above other qualities.

Culler, Jonathan. Structuralist Poetics: Structuralism, Linguistics and the Study of Literature. Routledge Classics, 2002.

Forsyth, Mark. The Elements of Eloquence: How to Turn the Perfect English Phrase . Icon Books, 2013.

Hawkes, Terence. Structuralism and Semiotics . Routledge, 2004.

Lye, John. “Structuralism and Literary Criticism.” Brocku , 2008. Web.

Paterson, Don. “ Shakespeare’s Sonnets by Don Paterson .” Guardian . 2010. Web.

Shakespeare, William. Shakespeare’s Sonnets . Ticknor and Fields, 1865.

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IvyPanda. (2020, November 25). The Sonnet: My Mistress' Eyes Are Nothing Like the Sun. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-sonnet-my-mistress-eyes-are-nothing-like-the-sun/

"The Sonnet: My Mistress' Eyes Are Nothing Like the Sun." IvyPanda , 25 Nov. 2020, ivypanda.com/essays/the-sonnet-my-mistress-eyes-are-nothing-like-the-sun/.

IvyPanda . (2020) 'The Sonnet: My Mistress' Eyes Are Nothing Like the Sun'. 25 November.

IvyPanda . 2020. "The Sonnet: My Mistress' Eyes Are Nothing Like the Sun." November 25, 2020. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-sonnet-my-mistress-eyes-are-nothing-like-the-sun/.

1. IvyPanda . "The Sonnet: My Mistress' Eyes Are Nothing Like the Sun." November 25, 2020. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-sonnet-my-mistress-eyes-are-nothing-like-the-sun/.

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IvyPanda . "The Sonnet: My Mistress' Eyes Are Nothing Like the Sun." November 25, 2020. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-sonnet-my-mistress-eyes-are-nothing-like-the-sun/.

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Sonnet 130 

My Mistresses' Eyes

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The Critical Appreciation of Sonnet 130

Introduction:.

Sonnet 130 by William Shakespeare is a remarkable piece of poetry that challenges and subverts the conventions of traditional love poetry. In this critical appreciation, we delve into the nuances of Sonnet 130 and explore Shakespeare’s unique approach to portraying love, beauty, and the human experience.

Breaking the Mold of Idealized Beauty:

Sonnet 130 stands out from the typical love sonnets of Shakespeare’s time by rejecting the idealized and exaggerated descriptions of the beloved. Instead, Shakespeare chooses to portray his mistress in a more realistic and human light. He acknowledges her imperfections and compares her to ordinary objects, deviating from the conventional comparisons to goddesses or ethereal beings.

In lines 2-3, Shakespeare writes, “My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun;/Coral is far more red than her lips’ red.” These direct comparisons to everyday objects serve to demystify the beloved and present her as an ordinary person. Shakespeare’s intention is to highlight the beauty that exists in the authenticity and genuineness of his mistress, rather than conforming to societal ideals.

Honesty and Authenticity:

At the heart of Sonnet 130 lies a celebration of honesty and authenticity in love. Shakespeare’s refusal to use flowery language or false praise reveals his commitment to portraying love as it truly is, without embellishment. By doing so, he emphasizes that genuine love does not require exaggerated words or deceptive compliments but thrives on accepting and appreciating one another’s true selves.

The poet’s honesty is evident in lines 5-6: “I have seen roses damasked, red and white,/But no such roses see I in her cheeks.” Here, he acknowledges that his mistress does not possess the conventional beauty associated with roses. Instead, he presents her as she is, and in doing so, he captures the essence of a real and heartfelt connection.

Challenging Beauty Standards:

Shakespeare’s rejection of societal beauty standards is another significant aspect of Sonnet 130. In a time when fair skin, golden hair, and delicate features were prized, the poet celebrates the unique qualities of his mistress. Her hair is compared to wires, her lips to coral, and her cheeks lack the typical rosy hue. Through these unconventional descriptions, Shakespeare challenges the limitations imposed by societal expectations and redefines beauty on his terms.

In lines 11-12, he writes, “And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare/As any she belied with false compare.” Despite not conforming to conventional standards of beauty, the poet asserts that his love for his mistress is just as extraordinary as any love described with exaggerated or false comparisons. Shakespeare’s intention is to shift the focus from external appearances to the depth of emotional connection and genuine affection.

Embracing Individuality and Flaws:

Sonnet 130 serves as a powerful reminder that true love goes beyond physical appearances and embraces the essence of a person, flaws and all. Shakespeare’s mistress is portrayed as a real human being, with breath that is not perfumed and eyes that do not resemble the sun. By highlighting her individuality and imperfections, the poet celebrates the richness of the human experience and encourages readers to look beyond superficial beauty.

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Subverting Traditional Love Poetry:

Sonnet 130 can be seen as a deliberate subversion of the traditional love poetry of Shakespeare’s time. Instead of conforming to the conventions of idealized love and exaggerated praise, Shakespeare presents a more grounded and realistic portrayal of love. He challenges the flowery language, exaggerated metaphors, and hollow compliments that were prevalent in sonnets of his era.

The poet’s intention is to dismantle the artificiality and pretense often associated with love poetry. By adopting a direct and straightforward tone, he invites readers to see love in its truest form, stripped of embellishments and false sentiments. This subversion of traditional love poetry highlights Shakespeare’s originality and his ability to challenge established norms.

Conclusion:

Sonnet 130 is a testament to Shakespeare’s genius and his ability to challenge the conventions of his time. Through his deliberate subversion of traditional love poetry, he presents a refreshing and authentic perspective on love, beauty, and the human experience. Shakespeare’s intention in this sonnet is to celebrate honesty, individuality, and the power of genuine affection. By rejecting idealized beauty, embracing flaws, and championing authenticity, he redefines the essence of true love.

As readers, we are invited to appreciate the beauty found in the ordinary, to question societal standards, and to embrace the depth of connection that transcends physical appearances. Sonnet 130 serves as a reminder that love should not be confined to superficialities but should be rooted in truth, acceptance, and the appreciation of each other’s unique qualities.

In this critical appreciation, we have explored the various dimensions of Sonnet 130, from Shakespeare’s rejection of idealized beauty and his celebration of honesty, to his subversion of traditional love poetry. By doing so, Shakespeare invites us to reconsider our perceptions of love and challenges us to embrace a more authentic and genuine approach to relationships.

In the end, Sonnet 130 remains a timeless piece of literature that continues to captivate readers with its unconventional beauty and profound insights. It stands as a testament to Shakespeare’s ability to transcend the boundaries of his time and to offer a fresh and thought-provoking perspective on the complexities of love.

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[POEM] William Shakespeare- Sonnet 130: My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun

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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.

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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Wiseessays.com review, an analysis of sonnet 130 essay.

Iambic Pentameter: The poem uses an iambic pentameter, a rhythmic scheme used in sonnets. The rhyme wiseessays.com review scheme is ABABCDCDEFEF GG, and is split into three quatrains and a rhyming couplet. It contains 10 syllables per line, with syllables alternating between unstressed and stressed when spoken aloud. This gives the sonnet the effect of sounding like a regular love poem, but upon closer examination of the words used we can tell that the poem and its intentions are completely different. The Final Couplet: In Sonnet 130, the persona describes the woman with unflattering terms such as “black wires grow on her head” and “in the breath from that my mistress reeks”. However, even though he points out her numerous flaws he still declares his love for her, suggesting that he embraces all her traits and characteristics and loves her nonetheless. This is further exemplified in the final couplet of the poem, “And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare; as any she belied with false compare. This sudden contrast, despite being contradictory to the previous lines of the poem, is significant in showing that regardless of her flaws he is still wholly in love with her. Throughout the poem, the persona compares his mistress to that of an imaginary, perfect woman. However, in the last lines we see that the persona chooses the real woman with all her imperfections over the “goddess” he has never seen. Rhyme Alternating rhymes: The rhyme scheme is ABABCDCDEFEF GG. “Sun” rhymes with “dun”, “red” and “head”, and so on, before ending with “rare” and “compare”. This enhances the image of a seemingly dull woman that the persona describes – the woman in question is said to have breasts which are dun, suggesting that she is sexually unattractive. Her lips are contrasted with that of coral, “Coral far more red than her lips’ red”. Red is the colour of sensuality, and thus the persona is stating that she is not a sensual woman. The effect that this rhyming scheme gives is to contrast the persona’s definition of beauty as a part of nature and the woman’s flaws. Third Quatrain and Final Couplet: The persona declares that he would “love to hear her speak”, despite her voice being less beautiful than music. This is the first time in the poem that praise has been conferred upon the persona’s mistress. He then goes on to compare the woman with that of a goddess, the highest being and his imperfect mistress. The final lines introduce a change in the rhyming scheme, with a couplet ending the rhythmic three quatrains. The couplet is used to introduce a new idea, that despite the woman’s flaws, the persona ‘s love for her is higher than that of the heavens. This highlights a key theme of the poem – regardless of the woman’s physical flaws and looks, the persona is able to see past her looks and still be beautiful in his eyes. This is significant because in the Shakespearean Era, the role of women was to please man with a beautiful face and body, and here we see Shakespeare expressing his love for a woman who did not possess many of these qualities. Iambic Pentameter: The poem uses an iambic pentameter, a rhythmic scheme used in sonnets. The rhyme scheme is ABABCDCDEFEF GG, and is split into three quatrains and a rhyming couplet. It contains 10 syllables per line, with syllables alternating between unstressed and stressed when spoken aloud. This gives the sonnet the effect of sounding like a regular love poem, but upon closer examination of the words used we can tell that the poem and its intentions are completely different. The Final Couplet: In Sonnet 130, the persona describes the woman with unflattering terms such as “black wires grow on her head” and “in the breath from that my mistress reeks”. However, even though he points out her numerous flaws he still declares his love for her, suggesting that he embraces all her traits and characteristics and loves her nonetheless. This is further exemplified in the final couplet of the poem, “And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare; as any she belied with false compare. This sudden contrast, despite being contradictory to the previous lines of the poem, is significant in showing that regardless of her flaws he is still wholly in love with her. Throughout the poem, the persona compares his mistress to that of an imaginary, perfect woman. However, in the last lines we see that the persona chooses the real woman with all her imperfections over the “goddess” he has never seen. Rhyme Alternating rhymes: The rhyme scheme is ABABCDCDEFEF GG. “Sun” rhymes with “dun”, “red” and “head”, and so on, before ending with “rare” and “compare”. This enhances the image of a seemingly dull woman that the persona describes – the woman in question is said to have breasts which are dun, suggesting that she is sexually unattractive. Her lips are contrasted with that of coral, “Coral far more red than her lips’ red”. Red is the colour of sensuality, and thus the persona is stating that she is not a sensual woman. The effect that this rhyming scheme gives is to contrast the persona’s definition of beauty as a part of nature and the woman’s flaws. Third Quatrain and Final Couplet: The persona declares that he would “love to hear her speak”, despite her voice being less beautiful than music. This is the first time in the poem that praise has been conferred upon the persona’s mistress. He then goes on to compare the woman with that of a goddess, the highest being and his imperfect mistress. The final lines introduce a change in the rhyming scheme, with a couplet ending the rhythmic three quatrains. The couplet is used to introduce a new idea, that despite the woman’s flaws, the persona ‘s love for her is higher than that of the heavens. This highlights a key theme of the poem – regardless of the woman’s physical flaws and looks, the persona is able to see past her looks and still be beautiful in his eyes. This is significant because in the Shakespearean Era, the role of women was to please man with a beautiful face and body, and here we see Shakespeare expressing his love for a woman who did not possess many of these qualities.

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