Sonnet by William Shakespeare
Presentation by Adriana Pequeno
April 30, 2012
The word sonnet comes from the
Italian word sonneto, meaning “little
song”.
 Petrarch, an Italian Poet, used a
Problem-Solution format in his
sonnets (octave presents the
problem and the sestet solves it.)

14 lines
Divisions – 3
quatrains and 1
couplet
 Distinguished
rhyme scheme –
abab cdcd efef
gg
 Meter or
rhythm - iambic
pentameter
 Often
concerned with
a romantic
theme (love of a
man for a
woman)

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Quatrain 1 –
introduces the
subject
 Quatrains 2 – 3
further develop
the subject or
introduce a
conflict
 Concluding
Couplet – Offers
a solution/
comment/
summary

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Defining Unfamiliar Terms in Sonnet CXXX
 Coral – reddish yellow; skeletons forming reefs
(very colorful)
 Dun – dark and gloomy
 Damask’d - a common name for R. damascena,
a large, hardy rose that grows up to 8 feet, with
fragrant double pink to red flowers.
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.
Subject – woman or female lover
Seems the speaker is complaining about his
mistress’s physical features.
 Does so by comparing her to nature’s
beauty
 She’s nothing like the “sun,” (1) that’s for
sure. In Romeo and Juliet, Juliet is compared
to the sun.
 Seems like the red of the woman’s lips are
much, much duller than “coral” (2).
 Woman’s “breasts” (3) are dark and gloomy.
 Speaker uses unflattering diction, e.g.,
“black wires,” (4) to describe the woman’s
hair.
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The speaker’s mistress’s cheeks seem dull
compared to the fine beauty he has
witnessed in “roses damask’d” (5-6).
It seems that the speaker takes greater
pleasure in the “perfumes” offered by
nature than in the foul scent his lady exudes
(7-8).
The speaker’s unflattering diction, e.g.,
“reeks,” when describing his mistress’s
breath can easily make the reader turn away
with disgust.
It seems the speaker doesn’t think highly of
his mistress’s physical characteristics.
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The speaker seems really conflicted about his
mistress in this quatrain.
First, he does state how he loves “to hear her
[his mistress] speak” (9).
Then he offers how “music” itself is more
pleasing to the ear than his mistress’s voice (10).
Speaker seems rather ambivalent about his
mistress.
Speaker’s mistress is certainly not a “goddess”
since she “treads” rather heavily it seems on the
“ground” (9-10).
A goddess would gracefully float from one place
to another while an earth bound woman would
“walk” rather heavily and awkwardly.
Using the word “tread” to describe the way his
mistress walks again suggests that his mistress
is quite unattractive/ungraceful.
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The conjunction “yet” that begins the closing
couplet suggests a sort of turn in the speaker’s
perspective of his mistress.
He realizes why he loves her; she is “rare” (11).
The reader, however, is left to wonder what
rarities the mistress does possess. There’s the
mystery. Regardless, the reader knows that the
speaker loves not his mistress’s physical
qualities, but something else that is often
overlooked and usually considered to be
unimportant.
The speaker also calls his mistress, “my love,”
which also may indicate that he is in love with
her (13).
Interestingly, the speaker sets his mistress
against all of the other rare females who are so
often falsely described as possessing rich beauty
beyond compare (13-14).
Seems like the poem is a bit of a joke.
Metaphor – “If hairs be wires” (4).
 Speaker is comparing the mistress’s hairs to
very unappealing wires.
 Diction – “dun,” “wires,” “reeks,” “treads,” and
“ground” (3-4, 8, 12).
 Speaker uses such unflattering language to
emphasize how very unattractive his mistress is.
 Hyperbole – “black wires grow on her head” (4).
 Speaker seems to really exaggerate the poor
quality of his mistress’s hair
 Parody – by writing this sonnet, the speaker seems
to be mocking the sonnet’s true intention – instead
of glorifying his mistress with highly stylistic or
ornate language, the speaker uses plain language
to describe his mistress and, in the end, he
ironically still loves her. This sonnet, in many ways,
mocks what the sonnet is supposed to represent: a
serious piece of writing.

5
Beauty Within is Greater than Beauty
Without
 Physically, the speaker does not
describe his mistress in the most
favorable light, but he is
nevertheless in love with her.
 Her inner worth, one can infer,
somehow trumps her physical
appearance. This is how she
continues to win the speaker’s
heart.
5
Inner Mystery
10
Description :
Mysterious
How the Picture
Connects with the
Poem: Well, the
picture here is
quite unclear.. It’s
hard to identify its
subject and,
therefore, it
remains a mystery.
Regarding the
sonnet, the reader
realizes that the
speaker is not in
love with his
mistress’s physical
qualities, but her
inner qualities,
qualities that still
remain a mystery
at the conclusion
of the poem.

Highly recommended
 Departure from the typical sonnet’s
true intention
 Language is humorous.
 Easy to read – though still very
powerful.
 Great message to the reader is
provided.
7
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Defined the Petrarchan sonnet
Defined the Shakespearean
sonnet
Provided a Definitions List
Provided an analysis of each
quatrain and the final couplet
that make up Sonnet CXXX
Covered literary elements
Discussed a major theme
Provided an image
Provided a recommendation
Recited the poem
11
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.