William Shakespeare 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 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.
William Shakespeare Sonnet 18
"Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?"
Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer's lease hath all too short a date:
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimm'd;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance, or nature's changing course, untrimm'd;
But thy eternal summer shall not fade,
Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest;
Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou growest;
So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.
Sonnet Analysis – CHOOSE ONE!
IMPORTANT: You must write in complete sentences and
provide specific references to the sonnet in order to support
your answers.
1. Paraphrase the sonnet. Put each of the quatrains into your
own words! If there are words/terms that are unfamiliar to
you, look them up.
2. Explicate this sonnet and be sure to provide an analysis of
the following:
 A detailed description of what the poem is about –
provide references to the text!
 The theme of the poem.
 Explanation of important words or phrases that helps to
provide an understanding of the tone of the sonnet.
 Identification and explanation of figurative language in
the sonnet – (metaphors, similes, personification,
imagery, hyperbole, etc.) Why and how are these
techniques being used? For what effect? Please refer to
specific line numbers.
3. Discuss any connections to and differences between the
sonnet and Cyrano de Bergerac. Please provide specific
examples from each work in order to support your answer!
***You must cite from both the sonnet and the play in
your answers, so be sure to use proper MLA citations!
Refer to your MLA packets!
Extra Credit – On this page, illustrate the mistress in
Sonnet 130 based on Shakespeare’s description of her.
Name_____________
Class_____________
Date________
Cyrano / Shakespeare Sonnet Activity
1. Paraphrase the sonnet:
Quatrain 1
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Quatrain 2
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Quatrain 3
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Couplet
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2. Explicate:
 Overall meaning of the sonnet:_________________________________________
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Theme (this should be written as ONE complete sentence):
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The tone of this passage is __________________. The tone is _______________
because Shakespeare uses words (diction) such as “_____”, “_____”, “_____”,
and “____”. Now explain how these words prove that the tone is whatever you
believe it to be._____________________________________________________
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Analysis of the language used: Use MLA in-text citations!*
Step 1: IDENTIFY the literary devices that are present in the sonnet. Refer to
specific line numbers when necessary. For example, where are there examples of
metaphors, similes, personification, and/or hyperbole in the sonnet?
Step 2: EXPLAIN why Shakespeare is using these devices. For example, when you
find an example of a simile, you must explain why you believe that comparison is
being made. If someone is “hungry as a horse”, why compare their hunger to that of a
horse? Why not a caterpillar? This is a very important step, so please do not leave it
out of your analysis.
3. Connections to Cyrano de Bergerac (Acts 1-3): BE SPECIFIC and use MLA in-text
citations!* This should be NO LESS than TWO paragraphs.
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*All MLA citation formats can be found in your MLA packet. When citing Cyrano,
be sure to look at the section for how to cite text from PLAYS. When citing the
sonnet, look at the section for how to cite text from POEMS.
10R/10H
Cyrano de Bergerac
EXPLICATE:
 To break down language
 Find the deeper meaning behind the words / analysis and evaluation
 Diction/Word choice (tiger=Cyrano)
 Author chooses specific images/analogies/etc. for a reason
 Look at the title, setting, repetition, language, etc.
**Figurative language = Metaphorical language
(Imagery / Personification / Similes and Metaphors / etc.)
**Think about these questions: Why/How does the author utilize these devices to
get his point across? What effect is he trying to achieve by using language this
way?
PARAPHRASE:
 Putting something into your own words
 You can modernize it; update it by using your own words to describe what
is happening or what a character is saying
TONE:
 An author’s attitude towards a particular section of text
(Examples - Bitter, romantic, intense, confused, etc.)
 You can refer to the Literary Elements packet that you have in your binder
to look at other words used to describe tone
Sonnet Analysis Rubric
Component
Paraphrasing
(part 1)
Explication
(part 2)
Compare/Contrast
(part 3)
Effective
Communication
Level 4
Level 3
Level 2
Level 1
88-100
80-87
70-79
Below 70
Student clearly
understands what
is being said and is
able to put the
ideas into his/her
own words while
still maintaining
the original ideas
of the text.
Student
understands most
of what is being
said and is able to
put the ideas into
his/her words with
very little
confusion.
Student
understands some
of what is being
said and tries to put
the main ideas into
his/her own words.
Student is
struggling with
what is being said
and is only able to
put the most
general ideas into
his/her own words.
This explication
demonstrates a
good
understanding of
the language of the
sonnet. Response
contains an
excellent
explication of the
sonnet, explaining
its meaning in
sophisticated and
interesting terms.
This explication is
sophisticated and
deep.
This explication
demonstrates a
good
understanding of
the language of the
sonnet. Response
has a good
explication of the
sonnet, explaining
its meaning in
competent terms.
This explication is
good overall, but
lacks some depth
and sophistication.
This explication
demonstrates a
basic
understanding of
the language of the
sonnet. Response
has a fair
explication of the
sonnet, explaining
its meaning in
basic terms. This
explication lacks
sophistication and
depth.
The response
compares and
contrasts both
works clearly. It
points to specific
examples to
illustrate the
comparison. It
includes only the
information
relevant to the
comparison.
Writer makes
virtually no errors
in grammar or
spelling; does not
distract the reader
from the content.
The response
compares and
contrasts works
clearly, but the
supporting
information is
general. It includes
only the
information
relevant to the
comparison.
The response
compares and
contrasts works
somewhat clearly,
but the supporting
information is
incomplete. It may
include
information that is
not relevant to the
comparison.
Writer makes a
few errors in
grammar or
spelling that does
not distract the
reader from the
content.
Writer makes
errors in grammar
or spelling that can
distract the reader
from the content.
This explication
demonstrates a
poor understanding
of the language of
the sonnet.
Response has a
poor explication of
the sonnet,
explaining its
meaning in basic
terms that are
sometimes
confusing and lack
coherence. This
explication lacks
sophistication and
depth.
The response
compares or
contrasts, but does
not include both,
and/or does not
compare and
contrast works
clearly. There is no
supporting
information or
support is
incomplete.
Writer makes
several errors in
grammar or
spelling that
distract the reader
from the content.