ENGLISH HOME LANGUAGE 2023 ~ 2024
NO POEM POET
1 Sonnet 130 William Shakespeare
2 The child who was shot dead by soldiers in Nyanga Ingrid Jonker
3 At a Funeral Dennis Brutus
4 Poem of Return Jofre Rocha
5 Talk to the Peach Tree Sipho Sepamla
6 Prayer to Masks Léopold Sédar Senghor
7 This Winter Coming Karen Press
8 Solitude Ella Wheeler Wilcox
9 The Morning Sun is Shining Olive Schreiner
10 It is a beauteous evening, calm and free William Wordsworth
11 Fern Hill Dylan Thomas
12 The Shipwreck Emily Dickinson
Sincere thanks and gratitude to all who have contributed, directly or indirectly. It is not possible to
acknowledge every person. These notes might have errors, incorrect interpretations, typos, etc.
Please amend/add to/update and send a copy to asmhaffejee@mail.com
Thank you.
~1~
, SONNET 130 – WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
1 My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun;
2 Coral is far more red, than her lips red:
3 If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun;
4 If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.
5 I have seen roses damasked, red and white,
6 But no such roses see I in her cheeks;
7 And in some perfumes is there more delight
8 Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.
9 I love to hear her speak, yet well I know
10 That music hath a far more pleasing sound:
11 I grant I never saw a goddess go,
12 My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground:
13 And yet by heaven, I think my love as rare,
14 As any she belied with false compare.
BACKGROUND
This is sonnet number 130 in a series of 154 sonnets. It parodies the famous (and often over-the-top) Petrarchan sonnets in
which poets described their partners in highly exaggerated and unrealistic ways. Although this poem contains similar themes
as found in traditional sonnets (Female Beauty, Love and Admiration), Shakespeare does not idealise his beloved. He
describes her in ways which are realistic and, therefore, more accurate and ‘real’.
This is a Shakespearean or Elizabethan sonnet. It consists of three quatrains (4 lines each) and a rhyming couplet (2 lines).
The rhyming couplet serves as a final argument to drive home the speaker’s point. There is a lot of hyperbole in the poem:
all of the comparisons are exaggerated to emphasise the absurdity of Petrarchan ideals.
SUMMARY
Shakespeare uses eight ‘anti-compliments’ (negative comparisons) to describe the uniqueness and beauty of his beloved.
However, in the couplet he states that BECAUSE she is normal and ‘real’, he does not need to exaggerate her looks or his love
for her. He loves her just the way she is – perfect in her imperfection. In other words, she is perfect to HIM – he does not
need an idealised and superficial woman.
Although he seems critical and rather rude in the first 12 lines, the reader realises that he is, in fact, sincere in his love for
her. He does not need exaggerated and unrealistic comparisons to declare his genuine love for her. In being so brutally
honest, he has ironically given her a heightened beauty, simply because he does not dote on her outward appearance.
FORM/STRUCTURE
This is a Shakespearean or Elizabethan sonnet. It consists of three quatrains (4 lines each) and a rhyming couplet (2 lines).
The rhyme scheme is consistent with this format: abab cdcd efef gg. The couplet serves as a final argument to drive home the
speaker’s point. The rhythm of the point is consistent, too, and follows traditional iambic pentameter. There are 10 syllables
in each line.
LINE 1
My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun;
Mistress – this was a more general reference meaning "my love" or "my darling", and not as would use the term today. When
we use the word "mistress," it's usually to refer to a woman who is dating a married man.
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 'nothing like' to emphasise the fact that this female's eyes are not bright. In this
simile, the mistress’ eyes are being compared to the sun. The sun creates the image of something bright and shiny. However,
since the mistress’ eyes are “nothing” like sun, her eyes are the opposite of bright and shiny. The speaker’s use of the simile
indicates that the woman’s eyes are just plain and ordinary or nothing special.
~2~
,LINE 2
Coral is far more red, than her lips red:
Coral – a hard stony substance, typically forming large reefs in warm seas. Known for its bright red or pink colour. This was
the perfect colour for the perfect female.
Her lips are not as red as coral; there is nothing special about the colour of her lips. She has ordinary lips.
LINE 3
If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun;
Dun – a dull, greyish-brown colour
At that time, it was a huge compliment to have your skin compared to snow. His mistress has a dull complexion. “Dun” is a
word often used to describe the colour of a horse, and not something a woman would be thrilled to hear about. It makes her
sound ugly.
LINE 4
If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.
Hair was often compared to golden thread. This metaphor compares her hair to black wires. It is not soft and flowing, but
hard and spiky. She has frizzy black hair. The W-alliteration emphasises that she is not perfect.
LINES 5-6
I have seen roses damasked, red and white,
But no such roses see I in her cheeks;
Damasked – a pattern of mixed colours.
He has seen beautiful roses in damask (pinkish colour), red and white, but his mistress’s cheeks don’t remind him of them at
all. He sees no such roses (colour) in his mistress’s cheeks: Her cheeks are pale. This emphasises that his mistress is not the
perfect female model.
LINES 7-8
And in some perfumes is there more delight
Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.
reeks – a very strong, unpleasant smell
Some perfumes are far more fragrant than the smell of her breath. This is deliberately shocking and offensive, to emphasise
that she is just an ordinary person, she is human.
This idea of her being an ordinary person, and not a goddess, is further explained in lines 11-12
LINES 9-10
I love to hear her speak, yet well I know
That music hath a far more pleasing sound:
He admits that he would love to hear her speak, but the sound of music is better than the sound of her voice.
LINES 11-12
I grant I never saw a goddess go,
My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground:
Treads on the ground – she is not very graceful when she walks.
He admits that he had never seen a goddess move. She is not a goddess that floats or glides when she walks. She is a very
real person who is just an average human being.
LINES 13-14
And yet by heaven, I think my love as rare,
As any she belied with false compare.
~3~
, And – introduces a change
yet, by heaven – He denies that she possesses any heavenly qualities, yet he swears by heaven that his love is sincere.
The speaker thinks that his mistress is as wonderful and unique ("rare") as any woman ("any she") who was ever
misrepresented ("belied") by an exaggerated comparison ("false compare").
The couplet drives home the speaker's main point, that unlike other people who write sonnets, he doesn't need flowery
terms or fancy comparisons. He can just tell his mistress, plainly and simply, that he loves her for who she is. He embraces
her flaws. He loves her just the way she is.
THEMES
• Escape from Idealism – Shakespeare does not idealise his beloved. She in unlike the Petrarchan ideal – she is “real”,
and he loves her despite her imperfections. He states clearly in the couplet that people who describe their partners
with idealised comparisons, are liars. This emphasises the absurdity of Idealism.
• Femininity – This sonnet addresses the problem of stereotyping female beauty by setting unreachable standards for
it. The fixed ‘definition’ of beauty is unrealistic and will make females inferior by not achieving the ideal standards of
beauty. He questions real love – we should love our partners in spite of their imperfections.
• Love – The speaker expresses his love for his beloved. He describes his values of love. He states that real love is not
based on outwards appearances and idealised looks. His love is based on connection and emotion, not the
superficial.
• Real love doesn’t need false tributes, any woman can be beautiful.
TONE
• Sincerity
• Appreciative
• Impassioned
• Mocking
• Satirical
QUESTIONS
1. Explain how the structure and tone of this poem allows the poet to emphasise the central message. (3)
2. Are Shakespeare’s observations in the quatrains cynical or not? Explain your answer. (2)
3. Who is the speaker ridiculing in the poem? Why does he do this? (3)
4. Explain what is meant by: “My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground.” (2)
5. Refer to line 12. Comment on the effect pace has on the meaning of the line. (3)
6. Show how the last line completes his argument. Refer, in particular, to the word “false”. (2)
7. Identify three sensory images in this poem and how they relate to the central theme. (3)
8. Identify the tone in lines 1-12 and how this contrasts with the tone in the last two lines. Is this an
effective shift in tone? Justify your answer. (3)
9. Explain the use of “by heaven” in line 13. Why has this phrase been included? (2)
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