“My Mistress eyes”
Marisa Fiorentino
Radamus Roche III
http://departments.oxy.edu/librar
y/geninfo/collections/special/bann
edbooks/quotes.htm
• William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-uponAvon on April 23, 1564.
• William was born of John Shakespeare, a glover
and leather merchant and Mary Arden, a landed
local heiress. Young William was the third of eight
children, in which three of them died. His father
had a remarkable run of success as a merchant,
alderman, and high bailiff of Stratford, but later his
fortunes declined.
• The next documented event of his life was his
marriage to Anne Hathaway on November 28, 1582.
William was 18 and Anne was 26 and she was
pregnant. Their first child was Susanna, who was
born on May 26, 1583. They later had twins,
Hamnet and Judith, that were born February 2,
1585. Hamnet later dies at the age of 11
• For seven years after the birth of his twins
Shakespeare disappears from all records, this
period is called “The Lost Years”.
• One scholar writes that Shakespeare was a
fan of poaching and may have fled to protect
his life from Sir Thomas Lucy, whose rabbits
and deer he may have killed.
• It is believed that Shakespeare came back to
London around 1588 and began to establish
himself as an actor and playwright. Early on
many other writers grew envious.
• By 1594 he was not only acting and writing for
the Lord Chamberlain’s men, but he was also
a managing partner in the operation.
• He had plays published and sold in octavo editions, or
“penny copies” for the more literate audiences.
Shakespeare’s plays were mostly shown in the Globe
theater, which he had ownership of.
• Shakespeare wrote his will in 1611, which gave his
daughter Susanna all his property. To his other
daughter Judith he left 300 euros and his wife Anne
his “second best bed.”
• Shakespeare died on his Birthday April 23, 1616
• William Shakespeare is one the most known poets in
English History. His works have been read every year
from his death to the present.
• Even in his death he left a verse “Good friend, for
Jesus’ sake forebeare,To dig the dust enclosed here.
Blessed be the man that spares these stones, And
cursed be he that moves my bones.”
My Mistress eyes
Sonnet 130
William Shakespeare
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 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.
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.
What is a poem structure
exactly? It depends on the type
of form, or structure, in poetry
characterized by regularity
and consistency in such
elements as rhyme and/or line
length
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
A
B
A
B
C
D
C
D
E
F
E
F
G
G
William Shakespeare’s
“My Mistress eyes” is a poem
about the love towards an
imperfect woman. If the modern
reader does not read carefully
enough, he or she might quickly
assume the role of the woman
that Shakespeare is writing
about. In today’s world, a
mistress is someone who lives or
has some kind of sexual
relationship with a man,
without being married to him.
In Shakespeare’s time however,
it is used to describe a woman
who rules others or has control.
The theme of this
poem is to understand and
reflect on true love. True
love is loving another’s
imperfections no matter
how small or dramatic
they are. He speaks of her
eyes as “nothing like the
sun”, her lips not as red as
coral, and her voice not as
pleasant as music. He even
come become quite
insulting when he says her
breath reeks, her hairs are
like black wires, and she
treads on the ground
when she walks.
The tone of this poem
is one of realism,
contentment, and comfort.
It’s realistic because not
everyone’s love interest is
that of beauty and brains,
like many love poems
portray. He has come to
realize that she is far from
perfect, but that does not
take away any of his love for
her. It is like he has an
epiphany about the truth of
love.
The form of this poem
is that of a sonnet. William
Shakespeare is famous for his
use with sonnets. “My
Mistress’ eyes” contains
fourteen lines with ten
syllables per line. In each
line, there are five accents of
sound. This form gives the
poem a beautiful rhythm,
similar to all of Shakespeare’s
masterpieces.
Mostly every line in this sonnet is a
comparison, whether a metaphor or simile.
Shakespeare uses such vivid and detailed imagery
that by the end of the poem, you can actually
picture the woman he’s talking about like she’s right
before your eyes. Personification is also used. He
says “black wires grows on her head.”
An explicit
comparison
between two
things using
“like” or “as”.
An implied
comparison of
two unlike
things.
The use of vivid
or figurative
language to
represent objects,
actions, or ideas
Attributing or
applying human
qualities to
inanimate objects,
animals, or natural
phenomena.
Book Rags Inc. Analysis of the Sonnet, "My Mistress' Eyes are
Nothing like the Sun". 13 Feb. 2008
<http://www.bookrags.com/essay-2005/6/22/173627/689>.
SparkNotes LLC. "Sonnet 130." Shakespeare's Sonnets. 13 Feb.
2008
<http://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/shakesonnets/section1
0.rhtml>.