Shakespeare makes sure to cover all conventional imagery like the heavens, nature, seasons, music, and classical allusions, but mocks them to realistically depict his lover. Instead, the speaker remains confident that he can glorify his lover without exaggerated and unrealistic metaphors, that their love is both honest and unparalleled. The speaker reveals his lover’s imperfections by comparing her to beautiful objects found in nature and admits that her physical appearance cannot add up to things as beautiful as roses, snow, or the sun. However, Shakespeare boldly countered this traditional style, as evidenced by this very sonnet. Associated with Petrarch, this style was also popular in Elizabethan England. In honor of Valentine’s Day this coming Friday, here is Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 130.” Shakespeare satirizes the traditional love poem, which is often a vehicle to idealize the speaker’s lover by using flowery language to liken her beauty to natural imagery. My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground:Īnd yet by heaven, I think my love as rare, That music hath a far more pleasing sound: I love to hear her speak, yet well I know

Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks. I have seen roses damasked, red and white,Īnd in some perfumes is there more delight

If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head. If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun Ĭoral is far more red, than her lips red:

Famous shakespeare sonnets