Sonnet 130 by William Shakespeare

Sonnet 130 by William Shakespeare is a love poem to the speaker’s mistress. In the poem, the speaker mocks traditional love poetry which is unrealistic, hyperbolic and portrays idealised images of physical beauty, and instead, he describes his love in realistic terms, emphasising his love for her regardless of any perceived flaws.

This study guide is written for students and teachers of English Literature, particularly those studying CCEA’s GCSE English Literature Relationships Anthology. For more study guides from this anthology, check out the Relationships page, or the list of poems in the series at the bottom of this guide. If you are studying one of the other anthologies in the CCEA Literature course, check them out here: IDENTITY Anthology or CONFLICT Anthology.

Sonnet 130

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.

What is 'Sonnet 130' all about?

In Sonnet 130, Shakespeare’s speaker describes his mistress in starkly realistic terms, deliberately avoiding the exaggerated similes typical of traditional love poetry of his day. The speaker spends much of the poem outlining the very ordinary appearance of his mistress, namely her wiry hair, dull breasts, bad breath and very normal lips, eyes and cheeks. In the final two lines, however, the speaker makes it clear that the love he has for his mistress is true, realistic and a rare thing to have.

Listen to Alan Rickman reading Sonner 130:

Context of 'Sonnet 130'

William Shakespeare's life, education and career

William Shakespeare is regarded as the greatest playwright and poet in the English language.

He was born in Stratford-upon-Avon, England, in 1564. His exact date of birth is unknown, but he was baptised on April 26 1564. Little is documented about his early life, but it is believed he attended the local grammar school in Stratford, where he would have received a classical education focused on Latin literature.

Shakespeare’s career in London began in the late 1580s when he became involved in the city’s thriving theatre scene. He became an actor and eventually became a playwright, gaining recognition for his poetic language, vivid characters, and exciting plots. He is most famous for his tragic plays, including ‘Romeo and Juliet’, ‘Macbeth’, ‘Hamlet’ and ‘King Lear’, as well as his comedies, including ‘Much Ado About Nothing’, ‘The Taming of the Shrew’ and ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’. In total, Shakespeare wrote 38 plays.

Read another Shakespeare sonnet from the ThinkLit study guide archives! Shakespeare’s Sonnet 29 explores the speaker’s feelings of being ostracised by the world around him, but the restoration experienced through love.

Context of 'Sonnet 130': the Petrarchan Sonnet

William Shakespeare’s Sonnet 130 is part of his collection of 154 sonnets, written during the Elizabethan era. While the sonnet was first published in 1609, it is likely that it was written more than a decade before, in the 1590s.

The poem stands out for its unconventional approach to describing beauty, contrasting it sharply with the idealised depictions of beauty found in other types of sonnets and poetry, particularly in Petrarchan sonnets.

A Petrarchan sonnet is also known as an Italian sonnet, in contrast to a Shakespearean sonnet, also known as an English sonnet. The Petrarchan sonnet was made popular by Italian poet Francesco Petrarca (Francis Petrarch) who was born on 20th July 1304 and died 19th July 1374. Petrarch’s sonnets were used as an example of perfect lyric poetry, and they heavily influenced Renaissance poetry all across Europe.

Petrarch’s sonnets were said to be inspired by his unrequited love for Laura, a married woman who captured the poet’s attention and caused him to give up the priesthood. His sonnets emphasised idealised beauty, which is clearly mocked by Shakespeare in Sonnet 130. Shakespeare is clear in mocking these unattainable standards of beauty which are so excessive that they appear false. Instead of idealising beauty, Shskespeare’s speaker is at pains to emphasise his mistress’ flaws, yet his love for her stands as true and lasting.

Line-by-line analysis

My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun;

Alliteration and the personal possessive pronoun of ‘My mistress’ eyes’ offer a strong, lyrical opening to this untraditional sonnet.
The simile compares the mistress’ eyes to the sun in a negative way, stating that they are nothing alike and highlighting the speaker’s realistic approach to beauty. Comparing the eyes to the sun is a typical cliché of the time and the speaker asserts the opposite, for humorous effect. This line uses litotes (deliberate understatement by saying what something is not).
This line calls to mind Romeo’s description of Juliet in Act 2 Scene 2: “It is the east, and Juliet is the sun”. Romeo Montague is perhaps exactly the kind of character to give in to excess and idealised versions of beauty, as seen throughout the tragedy, and perhaps is fair game for Shakespeare’s mocking tone here.

Coral is far more red than her lips’ red:

Line two also uses a simile to state that this lady’s lips are not as red as coral. The use of colour imagery presents the reader with plenty to imagine here, and the sensory use of colour continues in the next three lines.
Red is a colour associated with love, passion and romance, but here, the speaker says her lips are not so red, suggesting a lesser passion than a reader of a sonnet might expect. The reader is left feeling disappointed.

If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun;

The speaker creates a conversational tone in his line, with the phrase “If … why then …”. This adds to the ironic, mocking tone.
White is a colour associated with purity and innocence, but again, the speaker backs away from describing her in a romanticised way. Instead, he uses a more factually accurate and plain adjective.
Bathos is used to create an anticlimax in this line, when describing breasts. More often in literature, (especially steamy literature!), this part of the body elicits some very imaginative similes, but here, the writer disappoints the reader (and likely, the mistress too) by describing them as ‘dun’ (a dull grey-brown colour).

If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.

Colour imagery continues with the stark description of her black hair. Instead of choosing an image of beauty or luxury, the speaker describes her hair as wires, not a flattering description for any woman.
Repetition of the word ‘wires’ in the line adds emphasis to this unflattering description and rejecting the ideal of golden, silky hair.
Each of the first four lines is marked with punctuation at the end of the line to create a long pause and to separate out each of these lines as a separate observation. This allows the reader a moment to imagine the description and also helps to highlight the rhyme scheme, ABAB, by pausing after each rhyming sound.

I have seen roses damasked, red and white,

Colour imagery continues again in this line, with the classic symbol of beauty, the rose.
‘Damasked’ means dappled, patterned or streaked. Some think this reference to red and white damasked roses is a subtle reference to the War of the Roses (1455 to 1487). The House of York (symbolised by a white rose) and House of Lancaster (symbolised by a red rose) fought for control of the English throne, with the two houses eventually being united in marriage via Henry Tutor. The House of Tutor is symbolised by a red and white rose. You can read more about the War of the Roses in this BBC Bitesize article.

But no such roses see I in her cheeks;

The common poetic trope of comparing cheeks to roses is dismissed here, as the speaker sticks rigidly to the fact that her cheek is not red.
Opening the line with the negation ‘But’ is assertive and clear.

And in some perfumes is there more delight

Sensory imagery is again pushed, this time with the olfactory image of perfume which is suggestive of seduction, wealth and beauty.

Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.

Instead of beauty, wealth and seduction, the speaker uses hyperbole in the highly negative verb ‘reeks’. There is no sweetness or even affection used here, simply a humorous and matter-of-fact style.
Placing ‘reeks’ at the end of the line plays around with the syntax, drawing our attention to the word reeks through its placement and also through its rhyme with ‘cheeks’ two lines above.

I love to hear her speak; yet well I know

The first moment of true affection is shown here in the acknowledgement ‘I love to hear her speak’.
This honest and loving moment is juxtaposed with the harsh reality which follows. The contrast is made clear with the conjunction ‘yet’ which follows the caesura at the semi-colon. The pause in the middle of the line alerts the reader to the fact that a contrast is coming, and reality will attempt to negate the compliment.

That music hath a far more pleasing sound:

After the visual and olfactory imagery of the opening octave, the speaker now moves into auditory imagery by comparing her negatively to beautiful music.

I grant I never saw a goddess go,

Comparing a lover to a goddess is another common trope of love poetry, with the effect being to idealise the object of the poem. In this cases, the speaker’s humorous tone makes it clear that he has never seen a goddess!
Humour is emphasised by the use of alliteration of the ‘g’ sound in ‘grant … goddess go’.

My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground:

Instead of floating magically like a goddess, the speaker literally grounds his description of his mistress with the factual acknowledgement that she walks on the ground.
In this line, the speaker returns to visual imagery, helping to round off the poem in preparation for the closing couplet. The use of pauses gives it a slow, measured feel, again grounding the description in reality.

And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare

This line marks the volta, the turning point in the poem, highlighted by the phrase ‘And yet’. In this final rhyming couplet, the speaker reveals his true feelings of love and respect that he has for his mistress. Despite her flaws and his lack of effusive, excessive descriptions, he feels his love for her is real, true and special.

As any she belied with false compare.

Indeed, he feels his love is more real as his words lack the falseness of other poets.
The speaker’s critique of other poets is made very clear here. It is not a false, empty love which others use, and his strong feelings on this point finish off the poem with the rhyming of ‘rare’ and ‘compare’.

Analysis of form and structure

The term ‘sonnet’ refers to a specific form of poetry.

A sonnet is a highly structured poem.

Often, sonnets explore the themes of love, nature, desire, beauty, and mortality. Due to their tight structure and concise length, they tend to be very intense explorations of these themes.

The most common types of sonnets are the Petrarchan (Italian) sonnet and the Shakespearean (English) sonnet. They are largely similar in their length, rhythm and content, but differ slightly in their structure and rhyme scheme.

Let’s focus on the Shakespearean sonnet, as Sonnet 130 is (obviously!) a Shakespearean sonnet.

A Shakespearean sonnet consists of 14 lines written in iambic pentameter. The rhyme scheme of a Shakespearean sonnet is ABAB CDCD EFEF GG, where the last two lines are a rhyming couplet.

Verse structure

A Shakespearean sonnet is one verse which consists of 14 lines. Within these 14 lines, there is usually a structure of three quatrains (four-line sections) and a final couplet (two lines).

While the quatrains and couplets are all contained within one verse, there is a shift in the rhyme scheme to mark each section.

Volta

The sonnet typically contains a Volta, which is the Italian word for ‘turn’. This Volta usually occurs between the second and third quatrains. The turn usually marks a change in the tone, attitude or focus of the speaker. Often, a question has been raised in the first part of the sonnet which is answered in the second half, after the Volta.

Where is the Volta in Sonnet 130?

The Volta in a Petrarchan sonnet comes after the octave.

In contrast, Shakespearean sonnets do not always keep the Volta in the same place. A Shakespearean sonnet often has the Volta before the final rhyming couplet or after the octave.

In Sonnet 130, the Volta comes after the first three quatrains, at the start of the rhyming couplet in lines 13 and 14. It is marked by the key words ‘And yet’ which show the change in thinking for the speaker. The change here is from criticism of typical lovers, and gentle mockery of his own mistress, to genuine affection, grounded in a true reflection of his loved one.

Rhyme

Sonnets have a very regular rhyme scheme. The pattern varies depending on whether it is an Italian or an English sonnet.

An English or Shakespearean sonnet has a rhyme scheme ABAB CDCD EFEF GG. The final rhyming couplet usually offers an answer or resolution to the question or problem of the preceding lines, which is indeed the case in Sonnet 130.

Rhythm

Each line of a Shakespearean sonnet is written in iambic pentameter, which means that it has 10 syllables and follows a pattern of unstressed/stressed syllables.

Themes in 'Sonnet 130'

Strong feelings of love v physical appearance

Despite the unflattering comparisons, the speaker’s sincere and deep affection for his mistress is evident, emphasising that true love goes beyond superficial appearance. His strong feelings for his mistress are no based on her hair or rosy cheeks, but rather on something which goes beyond appearance.

Realism v idealism

The poem challenges the exaggerated and idealised descriptions of beauty commonly found in traditional love sonnets. Shakespeare mocks those who claim their love glides or moves like a goddess, instead stating plainly that his love, when she walks, ‘treads on the ground’. He even goes as far as to point out her flaws, such as her bad breath. This atypical description flies in the face of typical idealised descriptions.

Critique of poetic conventions

Shakespeare critiques the artificial and insincere praise often used in poetry, advocating for honesty and authenticity in writing about, or speaking about, love. In particular, his criticism seems aimed at those who write Petrarchan sonnets (see above).

Quiz on 'Sonnet 130' by William Shakespeare

Sonnet 130 by William Shakespeare

Test your knowledge of the poem 'Sonnet 130' by William Shakespeare

Comprehension Questions

Make a list of the descriptions of the speakers’ mistress. Divide this list into two: one list for what she isn’t like, and another for descriptions of what she is like.
What is the speaker’s overall attitude to his mistress? Use evidence from the whole poem to support your answer.
If you had to split the poem into two verses, where would you put a verse divide. Explain this choice.
What are the impacts of the comparison between the mistress and a goddess?
What language device do you find to be most effective in this poem? Explain the importance of this device in shaping meaning.
Identify the main themes in this poem, proving as many quotations as you can find which refer to each theme.
Why has Shakespeare chosen the form of the sonnet for the ideas in this poem?
With reference to the context of the poem, explain what you believe the purpose of this poem to be.
Which other poem from your anthology would you select to compare and contrast with Sonnet 130? Make a list or mind map of the main ways in which these two poems compare and contrast, considering their forms, structures, language choices, meanings and contexts.
Write an essay in response to this past paper question on Sonnet 130: Look again at Sonnet 130 by William Shakespeare which deals with the theme of strong feelings, and at one other poem from the RELATIONSHIPS anthology which also deals with the theme of strong feelings. With close reference to the ways each poet uses language, compare and contrast what the speakers in the poems say about strong feelings. You should include relevant contextual material.

Other poems from the CCEA Relationships Anthology to pair with 'Sonnet 130'

'How do I love thee?' by Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Both sonnets explore the theme of love and express deep, abiding affection for their beloved. The poems both use the sonnet form, a traditional structure for expressing love and both poems convey a personal and intimate tone, directly addressing a beloved. However, while Shakespeare uses realistic and unflattering comparisons, rejecting idealised beauty to emphasise the authenticity of his love, Barrett Browning uses hyperbolic and idealised expressions to convey the depth and intensity of her love, precisely the issue Shakespeare mocks in his sonnet.

Symptoms of Love by Robert Graves

Both poems explore the theme of love, focusing on the emotional and physical experiences associated with it. Both poets use honest and sometimes unflattering descriptions to convey their views on love, moving away from idealised romantic imagery. While Shakespeare uses concrete sensory imagery to describe the mistress’s physical attributes, Graves uses metaphorical and abstract imagery to describe love’s effects. The poems have very different forms and contexts, which allows students plenty of opportunity for contrasts in the more technical aspects of the poems.