Dominique Dames
English 12
Mr. Harrison
October 23, 2014
Sonnet 130
Everyman has the thought of their perfect woman but who actually gets that ideal
woman? Shakespeare uses figurative language such as metaphor, Personification, Connotation to
express convey the tone of Sonnet 130. Sound techniques such as Iambic Pentameter is the
rhyme scheme and other techniques like syntax and diction to express conveys the tone of
Sonnet 130.When reading Sonnet 130 the reader can convey the attitude of the speaker towards
the subject. Shakespeare reveals the tone of Sonnet 130 through his word choice throughout the
poem. I will analyze the sonnet by describing specific elements in the poem. The ability to know
the tone of the sonnet will help the reader understand the poem.
A perfect woman is a woman who has all the character traits that a man request in a
woman. Shakespeare believes that there is not such a thing as a perfect woman. He compares the
woman to his woman by using metaphor and personification. “Coral is far more red, than her lips
red/If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun”. Shakespeare uses diction in his poem by
using concrete words to describe the perfect woman lips. He uses personification by comparing
her to natural objects. He uses connotation to describe the color of her breast. The imagery in the
poem is the descriptions of the motion of the mistress and perfect woman. “I grant I never saw a
goddess go/My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground”. The speaker has the readers
visualizing things such as an angel gliding. The Techniques that Shakespeare uses in Sonnet 130
contribute to the tone by giving examples of nonsensical appearances of the perfect woman.
Also the speaker uses sound techniques to realize the tone of Sonnet 130. Iambic
Pentameter is the rhyme scheme of the sonnet, it is a common meter in poetry that consist of an
unrhymed line with five feet accents. The rhyme scheme consists of lines that tell the problems
and the last two lines that solve the problem. “And yet by heaven, I think my love as rare,/ As
any she belied with false compare”. Shakespeare expresses his passion for her love in the last
two lines in Sonnet 130. Syntax is another language technique that is used to comprehend the
tone of the sonnet. Sonnet 130 has 14 lines with short sentences which show the speaker is more
intense.
The Tone of Sonnet 130 is different in theme from the other sonnets because of the effort
to understand the poem’s true meaning. The meaning of the poem is that nobody will have the
ideal woman because that type of woman does not exist. Femininity is connected to the idea of
appearance which is a main subject in the poem. His mistress that is being compared to the
perfect woman is actually real. This poem is all about female beauty and the expectations from
the men. He also points out how ridiculous poetic comparison can be.
In conclusion, Shakespeare uses figurative language such as metaphor, Personification,
Connotation to express convey the tone of Sonnet 130. Sound techniques such as Iambic
Pentameter is the rhyme scheme and other techniques like syntax and diction to express conveys
the tone of Sonnet 130.When reading Sonnet 130 the reader can convey the attitude of the
speaker towards the subject. Shakespeare reveals the tone of Sonnet 130 through his word choice
throughout the poem. I will analyze the sonnet by describing specific elements in the poem. The
ability to know the tone of the sonnet will help the reader understand the poem.