Sonnet 130: My Mistress’ Eyes Are Nothing Like the Sun
Sonnet 130: My Mistress’ Eyes Are Nothing Like the Sun - meaning Summary
Love Beyond Flattering Lies
Shakespeare subverts poetic praise by listing plain, even unflattering, comparisons that refuse typical hyperbolic imagery for a beloved. The speaker admits his mistress lacks idealized attributes yet insists this honest appraisal does not lessen his affection. The closing couplet affirms love’s authenticity over deceptive flattery, suggesting that truthful description can be truer than exaggerated praise.
Read Complete AnalysesMy 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.
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