Sonnet 130 by Bill 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.

I found this Sonnet very interesting. Shakespeare mentions how this woman is not perfect in the eyes of the speaker. Her cheeks are not as rosey as roses and she is not a goddess. But I think the meaning comes in the last two lines. After all of these flaws, his love is still there. Love transcends flaws. This meaning is conveyed through multiple contrasts between this girl and things in nature that the speaker views as perfect.

Comments

[Muda K.]

I definitely agree with you Jonah. The speaker essentially mocks the hype of other romantic poets who construct a "perfect image" of their lover. I like how Shakespeare constructed such a poem that appreciates flaw and imperfection, but conveys the message that this form of beauty wins the speaker's love, a love that the speaker defends as "rare" and true.

[Joe W.]

I agree with both of these posts. The overall feeling of this poem is pretty awesome. The idea that someone who is not perfect in their lover's eyes is still loved completely is a beautiful thing. We don't see that a lot in sonnets, especially from this era. It's a breath of fresh air. In fact, even in this day and age, we still don't see this sort of love in the media. We still see this 'perfection' in how our society looks at women, celebrities, and products. Unachievable perfection is an idea completely okay with Shakespeare, and it's completely okay with me too.

[Ada S.]

I agree! I loved this sonnet when we read it. I think it's one of the sweetest sonnets ever. He's saying how his mistress may not be perfect but that doesn't mean that their love isn't special and real. Nobodies perfect, and he loves all of her imperfections.

[Jack B.]

I agree. I find it interesting that the first twelve lines of the sonnet and the last two lines say almost opposite things, but they work together to create the meaning of the poem. Most sonnets, it seems, discuss how certain women have goddess-like beauty, but Shakespeare breaks from that. He only talks about this woman's flaws, not her extraordinary beauty, yet he still loves her. I like it.