*📚SONNET NO.130📚William Shakespeare*Sonnet No. 130 ,published 1609 in his book “Shakespeare’s Sonnets”, the speaker talks about his mistress who does not correspond with the ideals of beauty.The speaker compares her with beautiful things, but he cannot find a similarity. But he points out that his love does not depend on how she looks like. The eyes of the mistress are compared with the sun, but they have not even a likeness with it. The sun as one of the most important elements for life on earth is a really high level for comparison. With starting this way the speaker shows the expectations made for women they had to fulfil to be seen as beauty.Women were expected to look good and attractive. Line three talks about her “breasts” (l. 3), which are not as white as snow. White skin was not only about looking good, but it was also a sign of being noble, coming from a good family and being virginal. So the whiter a woman was the more she was respected; but the mistress’ breast “are dun”.Her hair is like “black wires” (l. 4), which does look horrible and is not nice to touch. The colour plays again an important role. Black is not a colour you can find in nature; it is actually not a real colour, but the absence of light. Black signifies sadness, darkness and evil. In the past men set a high value on women’s hair; it was a sign of femininity and beauty.The speaker is not talking for somebody else, but for himself and his own mistress. Roses are also a sign for love and passion, so again the mistress is questioned in fulfilling her role as a woman who is supposed to please a man.Perfume was in former days a really expensive and worthy object, but it can be seen as a pleasant smell in nature too. Anyways the mistress’ breath does not only smell worse than perfume, it even “reeks” (l. 8). This strong word intensifies the statement that nobody comes close to her and establishes a relationship with her.This last quatrain is the first time the speaker says something positive about his mistress. In this times women were not seen as individuals with own talents, so every woman had to have a wonderful voice to sing with. It was one of the basic things women were taught while they were living at home. Only working women, like servants or farmer's wives, were not supposed to be able to sing perfectly. So the mistress in the poem is seen as a low standard woman, not having a good education.The last comparison is made with a goddess, which is probably the highest thing a woman can be compared with.The comparisons made from the coral to the goddess are rising up. On one hand the speaker starts in nature with the coral under the sea and ends with a hovering goddess high over the ground. And on the other hand the value is increasing: from an almost useless coral to a priceless goddess. But the mistress does not even reach the lowest level. This shows that she actually is not worthy to be loved, but the final couplet is a complete turnaround.The speaker announces that he loves her, independent from the ideals of beauty men had.This last line is an attack on men who think a woman is only an object to look on, not a person to look into. The value of a woman is dependent on the thing you compare her with. Even if the mistress does not accord with the typical comparisons men used in the speaker’s times, she still can be beautiful in his eyes. Either because of her pretty visual nature, which he just needs to compare with different precious things, or because of her wonderful inner values, which you cannot see immediately but have to find out.William Shakespeare wrote this poem although it was unusual for a man to see a woman as a multidimensional character. Women were supposed to delight men with a lovely face and body. But to fall in love with a woman because she was smart or intellectual was totally untypical. He wanted other men living in his times to rethink their opinion about women.In one sonnet the only reason the speaker loves his woman is because she looks beautiful, and in the other the speaker loves her although she does not look handsome in the eyes of most men.After reading this sonnet the reader finds other love poems superficial and thinks that it is shocking how women were reduced on their appearance. Through “Sonnet 130” William Shakespeare wants to show that real love is deeper and goes beyond looks.

📚  SONNET  NO.130  📚

- William Shakespeare*

Sonnet No. 130 was published in 1609 in his book “Shakespeare’s Sonnets”, the speaker talks about his mistress who does not correspond with the ideals of beauty.

The speaker compares her with beautiful things, but he cannot find a similarity. But he points out that his love does not depend on how she looks like. 

The eyes of the mistress are compared with the sun, but they have not even a likeness with it. The sun as one of the most important elements for life on earth is a really high level for comparison. With starting this way the speaker shows the expectations made for women they had to fulfil to be seen as beauty.

Women were expected to look good and attractive. Line three talks about her “breasts” (l. 3), which are not as white as snow. White skin was not only about looking good, but it was also a sign of being noble, coming from a good family and being virginal. So the whiter a woman was the more she was respected; but the mistress’ breast “are dun”.

Her hair is like “black wires” (l. 4), which does look horrible and is not nice to touch. The colour plays again an important role. Black is not a colour you can find in nature; it is actually not a real colour, but the absence of light. Black signifies sadness, darkness and evil. In the past men set a high value on women’s hair; it was a sign of femininity and beauty.

The speaker is not talking for somebody else, but for himself and his own mistress. 

Roses are also a sign for love and passion, so again the mistress is questioned in fulfilling her role as a woman who is supposed to please a man.

Perfume was in former days a really expensive and worthy object, but it can be seen as a pleasant smell in nature too. Anyways the mistress’ breath does not only smell worse than perfume, it even “reeks” (l. 8). This strong word intensifies the statement that nobody comes close to her and establishes a relationship with her.

This last quatrain is the first time the speaker says something positive about his mistress. In this times women were not seen as individuals with own talents, so every woman had to have a wonderful voice to sing with. It was one of the basic things women were taught while they were living at home. Only working women, like servants or farmer's wives, were not supposed to be able to sing perfectly. So the mistress in the poem is seen as a low standard woman, not having a good education.

The last comparison is made with a goddess, which is probably the highest thing a woman can be compared with.

The comparisons made from the coral to the goddess are rising up. On one hand the speaker starts in nature with the coral under the sea and ends with a hovering goddess high over the ground. And on the other hand the value is increasing: from an almost useless coral to a priceless goddess. But the mistress does not even reach the lowest level. This shows that she actually is not worthy to be loved, but the final couplet is a complete turnaround.

The speaker announces that he loves her, independent from the ideals of beauty men had.

This last line is an attack on men who think a woman is only an object to look on, not a person to look into. The value of a woman is dependent on the thing you compare her with. Even if the mistress does not accord with the typical comparisons men used in the speaker’s times, she still can be beautiful in his eyes. Either because of her pretty visual nature, which he just needs to compare with different precious things, or because of her wonderful inner values, which you cannot see immediately but have to find out.

William Shakespeare wrote this poem although it was unusual for a man to see a woman as a multidimensional character. Women were supposed to delight men with a lovely face and body. But to fall in love with a woman because she was smart or intellectual was totally untypical.

 He wanted other men living in his times to rethink their opinion about women.

In one sonnet the only reason the speaker loves his woman is because she looks beautiful, and in the other the speaker loves her although she does not look handsome in the eyes of most men.

After reading this sonnet the reader finds other love poems superficial and thinks that it is shocking how women were reduced on their appearance.

 Through “Sonnet 130” William Shakespeare wants to show that real love is deeper and goes beyond looks.

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