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Sonnet 130 – "My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun": Cheat Sheet (Detailed)


Title: Sonnet 130 – "My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun"

Author: William Shakespeare

Theme

  • Real love vs. false ideals: The poem rejects typical flowery, unrealistic comparisons in love poetry.

  • Honesty and authenticity: Love doesn’t need exaggerated compliments to be true.

  • Anti-Petrarchan: Shakes up the usual over-the-top praise poets used back then.

Summary

The speaker describes his mistress in a brutally honest way—her eyes aren’t like the sun, her lips aren’t as red as coral, her skin isn’t snow-white, and her breath isn’t like perfume. He points out she walks on the ground (not like a goddess). Despite all this, the speaker says he loves her deeply and finds his love rare and genuine. The poem says true love is about real connection, not fake, over-the-top comparisons.

Structure & Form

  • Type: Shakespearean sonnet

  • Lines: 14 lines, 3 quatrains + 1 couplet

  • Rhyme scheme: ABAB CDCD EFEF GG

  • Meter: Iambic pentameter

Key Lines and Meaning

  • “My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun;”
    (No cheesy bright sun eyes.)

  • “Coral is far more red than her lips’ red;”
    (Her lips aren’t super red.)

  • “If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun;”
    (Her skin isn’t pure white.)

  • “If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.”
    (Her hair is just normal black hair, not golden or silky.)

  • “I have seen roses damasked, red and white, / But no such roses see I in her cheeks;”
    (No perfect rosy cheeks here.)

  • “And in some perfumes is there more delight / Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.”
    (Her breath isn’t sweet perfume.)

  • “I love to hear her speak, yet well I know / That music hath a far more pleasing sound;”
    (Her voice isn’t music, but he loves it anyway.)

  • “I grant I never saw a goddess go; / My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground:”
    (She’s not a goddess, she’s real.)

  • “And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare / As any she belied with false compare.”
    (Despite all this, his love is just as special as those who get hyped up with lies.)

Literary Devices

  • Satire and irony: Making fun of typical love poems.

  • Alliteration: “My mistress’ eyes.”

  • Imagery: Paints a realistic picture, not fantasy.

  • Contrast: Between real qualities and exaggerated poetic ideals.

  • Volta (turn): Couplets affirming true love is beyond false comparisons.

Tone

  • Honest, playful, and a bit cheeky.

  • Rejects clichés but is deeply sincere.

Message

True love doesn’t need fake, unrealistic comparisons. Real, imperfect people are worthy of love. Honesty beats false praise.

Why it’s powerful

This sonnet cuts through all the fluff and shows love in its raw, real form — like a ninja who sees truth in every situation. It’s a reminder: no need for fake glam, just respect and genuine feelings. 🔥💀

For flex quotes:
“And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare / As any she belied with false compare.”

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