Instead, he will accept her for what she is, and that is the real and rare love. The third and fourth lines of the poem start with the word “if.” This device gives the poem a rhyming effect. In the fourth line, the speaker exaggeratedly says that his beloved’s head is covered with black wires. Secondly, the description of the beloved’s beauty is also not the same as the convention. Written from a first person perspective, I and My occur 11 times. Imagine that, comparing your lover's hair to strands of thin metal. Every line of the poem attacks the said conventions except for the last two lines. When a line of poetry is changed like this there is often a special emphasis placed on the meaning of certain words and phrases. Assonance is the repetition of the same vowel sound in a line. In this line, there are two alliterative sound patterns. In this sense sonnet 130 is an anomaly, a unique poem that flouts the rules of convention and breaks new ground in the process. We will dissect the sonnet, line by line, in an effort to understand the poem’s true message. Hyperbole is an exaggerated overstatement or understatement in a literary piece. Sonnet 130: My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun Summary. Discussion of themes and motifs in William Shakespeare's Sonnet 130. eNotes critical analyses help you gain a deeper understanding of Sonnet 130 so you can excel on your essay or test. One of the major themes of the poem is love. In the first quatrain, the speaker questions the idea of comparing humans to sun and corals. William Shakespeare is probably the most renowned writer in the history of English literature. In the first quatrain, the speaker questions the idea of comparing humans to sun and corals. It is an English or Shakespearean sonnet (sometimes also known as the Elizabethan). Her breasts are a dull grey-brown colour, not snow white. Sonnets in the Spotlight Sonnet 130 is the poet's pragmatic tribute to his uncomely mistress, commonly referred to as the dark lady because of her dun complexion. eval(ez_write_tag([[300,250],'litpriest_com-box-4','ezslot_3',103,'0','0']));In the couplet, the speaker says that despite all the shortcomings of his mistress that he has described in the earlier line, he is in deep love with her. Sonnet 130 carries within it similar themes to those traditional sonnets - Female Beauty, The Anatomy and Love - but it approaches them in a thoroughly realistic way; there is no flowery, idealistic language. Rather, his love is based on true emotions and feelings. Sonnet 130 satirizes the concept of ideal beauty that was a convention of literature and art in general during the Elizabethan era. Sonnet 130 is another example of Shakespeare’s treatment of the conventions of a sonnet. Anaphora is the repetition of the same word at the start of consecutive lines. Technical analysis of Sonnet 130 literary devices and the technique of William Shakespeare In those lines, the speaker takes time to elaborate on his love for his mistress. These first two lines are caesura-free, there is no natural pause for the reader, and the iambic beat is dominant. It uses different devices like hyperbole, metaphor, and simile, to emphasize the absurdity of idealism in love. Like the typical sonnets of the time, this sonnet is also mainly about love. However, the pleasure in his mistress’s breath is of lesser degree in comparison to the pleasure of perfumes. The first pattern is made by the words “be” and “black,” while the  second is made by the words “hair,” “her,” and “head.” This type of repetitive sounds at the start of the words exhibits the disagreement of the speaker with this type of comparison. Shakespeare Love Sonnets include Sonnet 18, Sonnet 130, and many more. He does so by describing the features of his own mistress. Line 5 begins with an inverted iamb - a trochee - placing emphasis on the first person I. It is clear from these 28 sonnets that the speaker was deeply in love with this woman, yet torn emotionally because she lied, was deceitful and cruel. He says that there is a great deal of pleasure in the smell of perfumes. She hasn't a musical voice; she uses her feet to get around. Sonnet 130 is an unusual poem because it turns the idea of female beauty on its head and offers the reader an alternative view of what it's like to love a woman, warts and all, despite her shortcomings. Among these sonnets, sonnet 18, sonnet 29, sonnet 116, and sonnet 130 are the most famous ones. In the poem, the speaker compares his mistress’s eyes to the sun in the first line. For example, the word red occurs twice in the second line, as does wires in the fourth. He also mocks the tradition of comparing one’s breast to snow and hair with golden wires. In the eleventh line, there is another exaggerated alliteration. However, while the narrator's honesty in sonnet 130 may seem commendable, we must not forget that Shakespeare himself was a master of the compliment and frequently made use of the very same sorts of exaggerated comparisons satirized here. He says that his love is as rare as anyone in the world. Similarly, the /u/ sound is repeated twice in the sixth line. It describes the many facets of her character that he loves and admires her for. For example: My/eyes/white/why/wires//wires/I/my/I/I/I/I/My/by/I/my/belied. Explication Analysis. By usurping Petrarchan ideals and highlighting the mistress's 'errors', the speaker arguably succeeds in strengthening the bonds of that love. Most scholars refer to the first line of the sonnet as the title. Iambic pentameter dominates this sonnet and there are a total of 10 purely iambic lines : 1,6,7,8,9,10,11,13 and 14. Share on facebook. In lines 6 and 7 the natural order of the words is inversed, a technique known as anastrophe. Search. Line 4 is also not straightforward. Still, he loves her with all his heart. But the equally important subject and theme of the poem is also the revolt against the worn-out symbols and the exaggerated metaphors of the Elizabethan love lyric. Some of those roses were red, some were white, and some were grayish pink. The moments, when his mistress talks to him, are a source of delight for him. He says that his love is not based on the physical beauty of his beloved. He says that it brings a great deal of joy to hear to the voice of his mistress. First of all, many of his sonnets did not address a female beloved. Certainly in the context of the previous line - some perfume - the latter meaning seems more likely. Sonnet 130 stands alone as a unique and startlingly honest love poem, an antithesis to the sweet conventions of Petrarchan ideals which were prominent at the time. I know this so far but I am having trouble with the rest of the sonnet. The speaker is expressing his love for his beloved. How can someone’s hair be like golden wires? By accepting her faults: In faith, I do not love thee with mine eyes, For they in thee a thousand errors note; (from Sonnet 141). There are a possible two trochees after the comma: If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head. In the first quatrain, the speaker spends one line on each comparison between his mistress and something else (the sun, coral, snow, and wires—the one positive thing in the whole poem some part of his mistress is like. he is able to confess his alternative love. Humans should ready themselves to accept the world as it is with all its imperfections. The sonnet is a form that originated in Italy and credits Giacomo da Lentini as its creator. Note the comma in both lines, a parallel, so the reader has to pause, breaking the rhythm, telling us that this is no ordinary poetic journey. His mistress does not need to be as red as roses and as white as snow. He also mocks the tradition of comparing one’s breast to snow and hair with golden wires. He knows that his mistress walks on earth. Summary of Sonnet 130. analisi e commento del sonetto 130 di shakespeare Il sonetto 130 DI SHAKESPEARE ha principalmente due interpretazioni : il primo quello di sovvertire l'ordine acquisito (ed abusato ,oltre che ipocrita) di idealizzare la donna angelo,che spesso non si era mai realmente amato ,o addirittura era un personaggio inventato,di fantasia, o comunque si narravano delle qualita' piu' immaginarie che reali. This clustering of similar sounds makes the poem appealing by giving it a rhyming effect. Share on linkedin. Readers wonder why Shakespeare would highlight the flaws of the woman he loves so they hypothesize his intent. Most of his sonnets praise his lover’s beauty, wit and worth. At the same time, the breath of his mistress is also pleasurable. Almost all of these descriptions used to be exaggerated and were no way near reality. He says that his love is not based on the physical beauty of his beloved. Line 12 begins with a strong spondee - two stressed syllables - which reinforces the personal again. Can you help me identify which syllables are being stressed in sonnet 130? He describes his beloved features that are not so attractive. In the second line, the sound /r/ is repeated four times. There is a subtle but noticeable difference in rhythm between these two. In lines three and four the anatomy of the mistress is further explored in unorthodox fashion. Every person is different from another, and such stereotyping of beauty can never work. The speaker appears to have some kind of emotional bond with his mistress. He says that the redness of corals is far more than the redness of his mistress’s cheeks and lips. Shakespeare used this device to upset the normal flow of language and bring attention to the mid-point of the sonnet. He largely contributed to poetry and pioneered the sonnets which have been coined the Shakespearean sonnets. So to the final couplet, a full rhyming affirmation of the speaker's love for the woman, his mistress. He says that the sun is far more bright and beautiful than the ordinary eyes of his mistress. How can someone’s voice be sweeter than music? The mistress's imperfections are praised and by so doing it could be argued that the speaker is being more honest. He says that he has seen many different variants of roses. It shows that ideal wishes can never be fulfilled in this world, and the people dealing with such ideal forms are nothing but liars. This means that is made up of three quatrains , or sets of four lines, and one concluding couplet , … Some are more melancholy than others, but no sonnet seems insulting – except this one! Line 2 begins with an inverted iambic foot - a trochee - with the stress on the first syllable, which alters the flow somewhat before the iambic beat takes over. The rhetorical structure of Sonnet 130 is important to its effect. He says that he has never seen such roses in the cheeks of his mistress. While sonnet 130 follows the basic style of sonnet writing, it subtly criticizes the woman by comparing her to wonderful things and stating her inadequacies. He says that his mistress’s eyes are not like sun and that her cheeks are not red like roses. He says that if snow stands as the standard for whiteness, his mistress’s breast does not qualify for such whiteness. Poetry and Poetics: Shakespeare’s Unique Love in “My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun” It was usual for 16th century sonneteers to … He also uses the conventional iambic pentameter and the division of sonnet into three quatrains and a couplet. Still, he loves her with all his heart. He describes the flaws in his mistress’s beauty and stresses that his mistress is human and prone to imperfections. This device emphasizes the difference between the whiteness of the two. The speaker opens the poem with the description of his mistress. Andrew has a keen interest in all aspects of poetry and writes extensively on the subject. In the third quatrain, the speaker continues the same pattern of satire and mocks further traditional analogies. Others claim it did mean smell or stink. The poem speaks about the shortcomings of the speaker’s beloved. However, in doing so, he again claims that other lie when they unduly praise their beloveds. "Sonnet 130" was written by the English poet and playwright William Shakespeare. He says that he will not exaggerate his mistress’s beauty to express his love. Consonance is the repetition of the same consonant sound in a line. It is indeed this blunt but charming sincerity that has made sonnet 130 one of the most famous in the sequence. Similarly, /r/ sound is repeated twice in the third line. Some scan it as purely iambic, others find an inverted iamb - a trochee - after the comma: If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun. Shakespeare doesn't hold back in his denial of his mistress's beauty. Preferences? He says that his mistress’s eyes are in no way comparable to the sun. In the fourteenth century, the Italian poet Petrarch introduced the genre of sonnets. It uses different devices like hyperbole, metaphor, and simile, to emphasize the absurdity of idealism in love. Line 3 is ambiguous. The first twelve lines make three quatrains with an alternate sound pattern, and the last two lines make a rhyming couplet. William Shakespeare wrote “Sonnet 130” sometime in the mid-1590s, but it wasn’t published until 1609. The second line focuses on the mistress's lips and informs the reader that they are not that red, not as red as coral (the marine corals), again the perfect colour for the perfect female. Furthermore, he negates the idea of comparing someone’s breath to perfume. In this poem, the speaker mocks this attitude. Through this device, the speaker conveys his annoyance with the comparison of humans and gods. He wants to prove that the convention of describing human beauty through false comparisons is wrong. When Shakespeare was writing this sonnet it was all the rage to compare a lover's eyes to the sun and sunlight - Shakespeare completely negates this, using the phrase '. Get Your Custom Essay on William Shakespeare’s Sonnet 130 Analysis Just from $13,9/Page. Not only is the speaker being blatantly honest in this sonnet, he is being critical of other poets who put forward false claims about woman. He follows the conventional form and writes it in fourteen lines. Get Essay Thus, Shakespeare followed the more idiomatic rhyme scheme which interlaces a rhyming pair of couplets to make a quatrain. This section is just 13. Sonnet 130 is an English or Shakespearean sonnet of 14 lines made up of 3 quatrains and a rhyming couplet, which binds everything together and draws a conclusion to what has gone before. This device makes the poem appealing by giving it a rhyming effect. He maintains that comparing someone’s cheeks to roses is absurd as he has never seen roses in his mistress’s cheeks. This sonnet is very much an individual's take on the beauty of their mistress. Shakespeare’s sonnets do not have a title. However, he says that he is sure about one thing. In Shakespeare's time the ideal woman was white, slender, blonde haired, red-lipped, bright-eyed and had silky smooth white skin. Situation: Shakespeare's "Sonnet 130" is not a narrative poem, but rather is a love poem to his mistress. He also uses the conventional iambic pentameter and the division of sonnet into three quatrains and a couplet. Similarly, there is consonance in this line which reflects his urgency in attacking the absurd analogies. The poem is a satire on the conventions of idealizing one’s beloved. He says that his mistress’s eyes are not like sun and that her cheeks are not red like roses. Of these, lines 1,6,7,8,10,11 and 14 are unpunctuated, allowing the rhythm to flow. Shakespeare’s sonnet 130 comprises of 14 lines; each line comprises of ten syllables. However, he chooses a subject matter, which is exactly opposite to the traditional themes. wires - many females wore golden wires in their hair as a hallmark of beauty, damasked - variegated rose of pinky red and white. Skip navigation Sign in. 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. I love / to hear / her speak, / yet well / I know That mu / sic hath / a far / more plea / sing sound; I grant / I nev / er saw / a god / dess go;My mis / tress, when / she walks, / treads on / the ground. He says that he will not exaggerate his mistress’s beauty to express his love. So sonnet 130 belongs to a subset of poems that delve into this relationship, expressing pain, delight, anguish and playfulness. In Sonnet 130, there is no use of grandiose metaphor or allusion; he does not compare his love to Venus, there is no evocation to Morpheus, etc. This is a detailed explanation of Shakespeare's Sonnet 130 that provides some context to the poem as well as a close reading of difficult lines and phrases. A metaphor is an implicit comparison between two different things based on some similar quality. An analysis of the most important parts of the poem Sonnet 130 by William Shakespeare, written in an easy-to-understand format.