My mistress’ eyes

My 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.

Analysis:

The sonnet belongs to the second section of Shakespeare’s collection, that is from sonnet 126 to 154. The addressee is the Dark lady.

Starting from the title the intelligent reader can notice the alliterative sound of m, that underlines the intimate relationship and a sort of dependence by the woman, so the poet is totally involved by her. Indeed the mistress is the owner of the poet’s heart and is she is the one goes bed with him, a concubine. Another word to clarify is eyes. Eyes are the symbol of the courtly love between mouth, cheeks, hear and hands. The intelligent reader know that Shakespeare takes up the themes of courtly love but somehow transforms them. How?

The first quatrain is made up by four different statements referring to the characterization of the mistress. Sun is most beautiful than her eyes, coral is more red than her lips, her breastsare darkwhile the snowis white, she isn’t blonde because her hair are black. From the first quatrain the intelligent reader understands that the woman loved by the speaking voice is anything but an angelic woman.

In the second quatrain continues the destruction of angelic woman typical of Petrarch. Indeed the speaking voice adds the reader information: the woman does not have the rosy cheeks, and some perfumes are better than his breath.

The third quatrain is a further explanation. The poet loves to hear her voice but music ismore pleasant. At the same time the speaking voice doesn’t expect that his lady walks like a goodness, indeed she slams her feet on the ground.

The message that Shakespeare would like to convey is clearly outline in the couplet. Even if the women does not reflect the standards of angelic woman’s beauty, the poet loves her in any case. You don’t decide who to fall in love.