By: Joe Vicciardo, Christiana Shovlin,
Amy Veasey, Rachel Strauss, Michelle Jajko
Quatrain 1
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.
Quatrain 1 Analysis
Line 1: My mistress’ eyes aren’t bright
 Line 2: Her lips aren’t red
 Line 3: Her breasts are not white
 Line 4: Her hair is stringy and mangled

Quatrain 2
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
Quatrain 2 Analysis
Line 5: I have seen many types of roses together
 Line 6: But her face does not have the beauty of
any type
 Line 7: She does not have a nice smell
 Line 8: Her breath does not smell sweet

Quatrain 3
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
Quatrain 3 Analysis
Line 9: I love to listen to her voice but I know
 Line 10: That its sound is not as pleasing as music
 Line 11: I admit I never saw a goddess walk
 Line 12: But my mistress does not walk with grace

Couplet
And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare
As any she belied with false compare.
Couplet Analysis
Line 13: Though, the speaker swears his love is
more unique
 Line 14: And no other woman can compare

Theme
Loving someone despite their flaws
 Inner beauty is what matters


In the poem, Shakespeare emphasizes the characteristics that his
mistress or love does not possess. Ultimately, he looks beyond her
physical features and appreciates her inner beauty. These common
themes are expressed throughout his sonnet continuously.
 “My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun; Coral is far more red
than her lips’ red;”.
○ This line demonstrates William Shakespeare's initial insults
towards his mistress’ appearance.
 “And yet , by heaven, I think my love as rare. As any she belied
with false compare”.
○ This couplet exemplifies that Shakespeare developed a
change of heart and recognized the woman’s inner beauty.
Placement and Importance of
Sonnet 130’s Couplet

The couplet plays an important role in
the sonnet, giving the reader a final
lasting impression. In sonnet 130, the
couplet establishes an overall loving
tone as opposed to the beginning lines
which appear to be very critical.
Literary Devices

Consonance and Imagery
 “I have seen roses damasked, red and
white”

Assonance
 “That music hath a far more pleasing
sound”.

Alliteration
 “My mistress, when she walks, treads on the
ground”.