Sonnet 130
William Shakespeare
An unconventional love poem
The poet's attitude toward the poem's subject matter,
as interpreted by the reader. The poem’s tone is created
by the poem's diction, syntax, use of figurative language
and rhyme.
Syntax refers to word order, and the way in which it works with
grammatical structures. As we are used to hearing things in certain
orders, the effect
of breaking with normal syntax is to draw attention
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to what is being said.
Understanding
PARODY
A Parody is a work that mimics, in an
absurd or ridiculous way, the conventions
and style of another work - in order to
derive ridicule, ironic comment or
affectionate fun.
Parody
“Any cultural practice
which provides a
relatively suggestive
imitation of another
cultural production or
practice.”
Below are some parodies
of well-known images,
texts and movies
The Nike Tick
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcIy9NiNbmo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEkJOb3V5U8
What is a sonnet?
A sonnet is a 14 line poem which traditionally is used as a
way to declare love for someone – you say brilliant things
about them and tell them how much you love them!
Early sonnets were used to express one’s love for someone
else – they were usually used to idolise a woman.
DISCUSS: What sort of things would you put in a sonnet?
• What kind of comparisons would you make when
speaking about a loved one?
• If you loved them would you compare them to something
nice or horrible?
Sonnet 130
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.
The iambic pentameter is similar to a
heartbeat. Try reading it!
A sonnet:
14 lines
iambic pentameter
carefully patterned
rhyme scheme.
Often used in love
poetry;
Its perfect form
could be seen to
reflect the perfect
nature of
love and romance
My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun; A
Coral is far more red than her lips' red; B
If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun;A
If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head. B
I have seen roses damask'd, red and white,C
But no such roses see I in her cheeks; D
And in some perfumes is there more delight C
Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks. D
I love to hear her speak, yet well I know E
That music hath a far more pleasing sound;F
I grant I never saw a goddess go; E
My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground:F
And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare G
As any she belied with false compare. G
Notice the
rhyme scheme –
ABAB and then
ends in a
rhyming couplet.
Eyes and lips are traditionally compared
and are commonly referred to when
describing female beauty
A traditional comparison
In a conventional love poem the writer would
exaggerate how beautiful his mistress is:
My mistress' eyes are more
fantastic than the sun;
But in his unconventional love poem Shakespeare
underplays how beautiful his mistress is:
My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun;
He has turned around the convention of exaggerated praise
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He carries on with the unconventional
approach in the next lines
Pink-orange colour
Her lips aren't red
Conventional
desirable feature
Coral is far more red than her lips' red
Something
of a cliche
The conventional
Grey, brown colour
If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun
Is he saying she is not
beautiful or is he saying
Can we answer this
or do we need to read on? she is beautiful in a different way?
In the next lines he moves on to describe other
physical features
If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.
So she is not
Gold wires were used Blondes were more
conventionally
in head-dress and
highly rated
beautiful
compared to golden hair
mixed
A woman would usually
be compared to
something like a rose
I have seen roses damask'd, red and white
But no such roses see I in her cheeks;
But she doesn’t
have this complexion
The author moves from how she looks to how
she smells
And in some perfumes is there more delight
Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.
“Reeks” didn’t have as
negative a meaning in
Shakespeare’s time, but it
was still considered rude.
In conventional love poems
you would say her breath was
sweeter than perfume
But Shakespeare takes an
unconventional approach
The next feature is the sound of her voice
I love to hear her speak, yet well I know
That music hath a far more pleasing sound;
He’s not being critical of her voice:
all he’s saying is that music
has a more pleasing sound
In the conventional love
poem the writer
would say that her voice
was sweeter than music
A turning point in the poem –
even though he knows there is
music that sounds better, he
would rather listen to his love
speak. He actually likes
something about her!!
A direct statement; he would
rather listen to his mistress than
music, even though music
sounds superior.
However, divine comparisons are not relevant, for his beloved is beautiful
without having to be a Goddess. He is being REALISTIC about her.
The poet describes how his mistress walks
I admit
to you
I’ve never seen
a goddess walk
I grant I never saw a goddess go;
My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground:
My mistress walks like anyone else,
on the ground, she is earthly rather than god-like
In a conventional love
He’s stating that his love is human and
poem she would be
experiences the realities of human fault.
described as
He is admitting she is flawed.
a goddess
The last two lines are referred to as a
rhyming couplet.
So does the poet think that his mistress is
beautiful or what?
exceptional
Direct statement, telling
us what he thinks
And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare
As any she belied with false compare.
The poet thinks she’s beautiful but
doesn’t want to describe her in a
cliched way such as other poets
did during his time.
She is as beautiful as
any woman who is praised
with false comparisons
A sonnet has 14 lines
The first 12 lines are
3 quatrains
Groups of 4 lines
rhyme scheme
ABAB
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.
And ends with a
closing couplet
And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare
As any she belied with false compare.
Sums things up
And yet, by heaven, I think my love as
rare G
As any she belied with false compare. G
Shakespeare is mocking
clichés; he wants to show
real love as something
deeper than a string of
unrealistic compliments.
The rhyme scheme of the
rhyming couplet emphasises the
rhyming couplet
at the end; this is where the true
nature of his feelings are
revealed.
Shakespeare is breaking
the tradition of love
poetry; the idea of courtly
love is replaced with
something more ‘real’,
more genuine.
And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare
As any she belied with false compare.
• The poet is satirising the tradition of comparing one’s love to all
things beautiful, divine and immortal.
• He makes many negative comparisons.
• But these final lines suggest that she is beyond all these things
just by being herself: mortal and approachable.
• Rare = precious, superb, of fine and unusual quality
• He thinks that his love is more special, than those which are
based on superficial comparisons.