Sonnet 130 by William Shakespeare An unconventional love poem about the “Dark Lady” Shakespeare wrote over 20 poems about the Dark Lady who remains a mysterious figure. We try and build up a picture of her from the poem. Images of the authors are courtesy of The University of Texas at Austin. http://marrasouk.com

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’.

Sonnet 130 by William Shakespeare 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 damask'd, 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. 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!

Notice the rhyme scheme – ABAB and then ends in a rhyming couplet. 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 dun;A 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 sound;F I grant I never saw a goddess go; E My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground:F And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare G As any she belied with false compare. G Notice the rhyme scheme – ABAB and then ends in a rhyming couplet.

But in his unconventional love poem Shakespeare Eyes and lips are traditionally compared and are features of female beauty A traditional comparison In a conventional love poem the writer would exaggerate how beautiful his mistress is: “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: What effect does this line have on the reader? “My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun;” Does it make us wonder what her eyes are like? My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun; He has turned around the convention of exaggerated praise http://marrasouk.com

He carries on with the unconventional approach in the next lines 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? http://marrasouk.com

In the next lines he moves on to describe other physical features Hair was often compared to golden wires or threads, so he’s saying her hair looks ugly! In the next lines he moves on to describe other physical features 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 Is he disparaging his mistress or do these lines enhance the idea of unconventional beauty? What is he saying here? Would you be offended at this point? But she doesn’t have this complexion A woman would usually be compared to something like a rose But no such roses see I in her cheeks; http://marrasouk.com

The author moves from how she looks to how she smells “reeks” would not have been as insulting then but still quite rude! The author moves from how she looks to how she smells 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 didn’t have a negative meaning in Shakespeare’s time He’s 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 http://marrasouk.com

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? He’s not being critical of her voice: all he’s 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. http://marrasouk.com

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. The poet describes how his mistress walks I admit to you I’ve 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 He’s stressing his mistress is no goddess. http://marrasouk.com

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 So does the poet think that his mistress is beautiful or what? 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 she’s beautiful but doesn’t want to describe her in a cliched way. She is as beautiful as any woman who is praised with false comparisons http://marrasouk.com

A sonnet has 14 lines rhyme scheme The first 12 lines are ABAB 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 http://marrasouk.com

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.

He makes many negative comparisons. And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare As any she belied with false compare. The poet is satirising the tradition of comparing one’s 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.

My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun; Simile commonly used in an over-exaggerated way by writers of sonnets 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. Is this a positive or negative impression? Brown colour Damask is a cloth with a pattern woven in to it, what might it mean here? Mockery of usual romantic images Breathed out, but also connotations of foul smelling Regular number of syllables per line She walks on earth, the sky was the realm of goddesses Rhyming couplet, gives the feeling of conclusion Gave wrong impression of Turns all the negative in to positive