Sonnet 130

• Poet


  William Shaksepeare
• Conntext


  MarriedAnne Hathawayand had a successful career as part of the King's Men, working as an actor and writer. A collection of his works was publishedposthumouslyin 1963
• Form


  A shakespearean sonnet containing 14 lines. It follows the structure of "problem" then "solution."
• Rhythm


  Iambic pentameter which adds gravity and sincerity which is appropriate as "truth" is one of the main themes
• Blazon


  Could also be referred to as a blazon. SP makes a parody of this form by criticising the woman instead of praising her
• Structure


  3 quatrains and 1 couplet- 1st condemns his lover's physicalappearance- 2nd condemns hid lover'ssmell- 3rd focuses on how shemoves and speaks- The couplet depicts a change of thought.Volta
• Rhyme


  Simple ABAB pattern, creating amocking toneas SP pokes fun at romantic cliches
• Intention


  Toparodythe typical petrarchan sonnets and give a more realistic depiction of love
• Diction choice


  Represents therealisticimagery not elevated imagery contained in the petrarchan sonnet
• Title


  Referred to bynumberas it comes from a collection of sonnets that scholars think are addressed to adark lady. It is sometimes referred to by its first line, creating adouble emphasis
• "are nothing like the sun"


  Subvertsthe intended purpose of a simile. This "litote" employs acriticismto describe what his love is not.Satirical focus

  
• "Coral is far more red than her lips red"

  Hyperbolic simileto outline that his lover's lips are not visually appealing. Outlines theunrealistic beautystandards. He wants to focus on a morehonestinterpretation. Red hasconnotationsof beauty and isrepeatedtwice, emphasising his mistress'slackofconventionalbeauty

  
• Listing of appearances


  repeated listingof such romanticised and dramatic conceits create amocking toneindicating the speaker find them insincere and unattainable
• "If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun;"


  Juxtapositionof white and dun reinforces the idea of unconventional beauty. White connotes purity and in the17th century,paleness was attractive. "snow" is striking as it emphasises how ridiculous theexpectationswere

  
• "black wires"


  Metaphorand the word "black" connotes something being tarnished which presents the mistress negatively.Traditional paragonsof beauty were fair with golden hair. Her dark features reinforce heratypicalbeauty

  
• "roses damasked, red and white,"


  Caesuraandconjunctionshows ludicrousclicheof women having to have blush and rosy cheeks

  
• "...white,"


  Mock surprise in the caesurashows how he wants the reader to understand howunrealisticit is for a woman to have a complexion so perfect it evokesimages of roses
• "reeks."


  Negative olfactory imagery.SP presents aflawed woman. In the17thcentury "reeks" meant tobreathe out. SP believes perfume would smell better
• "pleasing sound:"


  The quatrain is more complimentary.Auditory imageryshows how her voice is in no way idealistic, creating ahumorous tone

  
• "I grant I never saw a goddess go"


  Alliterationaddsfluidityto the line creating asoft soundand mirroring the graceful movements of agoddess.
• "When she walks, treads on the ground:"

  Imageryof a goddess is immediatelyjuxtaposed.Kinesthetic imagerypresents her movements as cumbersome and ungraceful. It is bizarre to compare a woman to the physicality of a goddess as they are mortal and she can never achieve such perfection. He loves her imperfect self

  
• "And yet"


  Conjunctionsignifies the volta
• "by heaven"


  Evokesvow-like imagery.The reader is assured that the declaration of love is serious

  
• "I think my love as rare"


  The speakerjustifiescriticisms through thedouble meaningin the adjective "rare"
• "rare" and "compare"


  Exact rhymemakes his beliefs moreassertive. His love is expressed with the truth, emphasising his belief that beauty comes from within