My Mistress’ Eyes Are Nothing Like The Sun - William Shakespeare (Part 4)

Sonnet 130

My Mistress’ Eyes Are Nothing Like The Sun

My mistress, Eyes are nothing like the sun;

Coral is far more red than her lip’s red;

If snow be white, why then her breast are dun;

If hairs be wires, black wires grown 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 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. 

(William Shakespeare 1564-1616)

This comes in the category of the sonnets which dedicated to the dark lady .This belong to the Elizabethan poetry of English Literature .Dark lady was one of the Queen Elizabeth’s maid. Shakespeare was in love with her. Something complicating was his friend and benefactor was also in love with her. This matter was forced him to both love and hate at the same time. This triangular relationship helped Shakespeare gain wonderful insight into human nature . This poem tells about the Shakespeare’s rear love  for his mistress. It also indicate how the poet loved her inspite  of her human frailties though on her part demeaned his love with that of her other lovers.

The flow of idea is like a blacksmith slowly raising his hammer and putting it down at once. In 12 lines , making the crisis and in  last 2 lines, giving the solution.

Themes discussed through the poem are ,

·         Spiritual and realistic love

·         Perfect human relationship

·         Attacking the courtly love tradition which was common at  that time.

·         Spiritual love over the physical nature of love .

·         Bringing out realistic approach to love and human relationships etc.

Techniques used in the poem are ,

·         Rhyming scheme

“abab cdcd efef”

·         Versification

·         Conventional language

·         Tone

“Sarcasm and Irony”

·         First person narration

·         Rhyming couplet at last

·         Sonnet form

·         Usage of imagery