My Mistress Eyes

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
MY MISTRESS’ EYES ARE

NOTHING LIKE THE SUN
(SONNET 130)
Shakespeare was opposed to the
metaphysical poets of his time. These
poets used exaggerated comparisons in
METAPHYSICAL POETRY their writing, usually to win the affection
of a desired lover. Shakespeare, however,
chose to write more honestly, as he
certainly does in this poem!
There are two types of sonnet:

• Shakespearean / Elizabethan: 3
quatrains (stanzas of 4 lines) and a
rhyming couplet. Each quatrain
discusses a different aspect of the
topic, and the couplet summarises the
THE SONNET main idea.
• Italian / Petrarchan: an octave and a

sestet. The content shifts focus at the
end of the octet.
Wife /
girlfriend /
lover
A dull grey-
My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun; brown colour
Coral is far more red than her lips' red;

With decorative If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun;
patterns
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; Smells very
horrible
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
Admit /
acknowledge That music hath a far more pleasing sound;
misrepresented
I grant I never saw a goddess go;
My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground.
woman And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare
As any she belied with false compare. comparison
QUATRAIN ONE
• My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun; 'My lady’s eyes do not shine as brightly as the sun!
Shakespeare this is an absurd comparison to make.
• Coral is far more red than her lips' red; Her lips are not as red as coral – how could they
be? Have you SEEN how red coral is?
• If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun; Her breasts are definitely not as white as snow –
that would be abnormal! They are a normal fleshy
colour.
• If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head. Shakespeare knows that many poets compare their
ladies’ hair to silk, so he purposely rejects this and
says his lady’s hair is coarse – more like wires than
silk!
QUATRAIN 2
• I have seen roses damasked, red and white, I have decorative roses, both red and white
• But no such roses see I in her cheeks; But my lady’s cheeks do not contain roses!
• And in some perfumes is there more delight Perfumes smell lovely, but my lady’s breath does
Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks. not smell lovely at all – in fact it often smells
terrible!
• Shakespeare is once again refusing to use ridiculous comparisons – he says his lover’s cheeks are not ‘rosy’,
and she does not have breath like perfume – compliments which many other poets would use in their poetry.
QUATRAIN 3
• I love to hear her speak, yet well I know I love the sound of my lover’s voice
• That music hath a far more pleasing sound; But her voice is not as beautiful as music – that
would be exaggerating.
• I grant I never saw a goddess go; I’ve never seen a goddess floating around
• My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground. My lady is not a goddess – she doesn’t float, she
walks on the ground.
• Shakespeare rejects the idea that his lover has breath that smells like perfume, and he refuses to call her a
goddess. She is just an ordinary woman.
RHYMING COUPLET
• And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare ‘And yet’ – this suggests he is providing a
contrasting idea. ‘by heaven’ – a way of
emphasising his point. He thinks his lady is as
incredible and special…
• As any she belied with false compare. As any other woman who has been
misrepresented in poetry by exaggerated and unrealistic
comparisons.
QUESTIONS
1. What 5 comparisons does Shakespeare use to describe what his
mistress is NOT? (lines 1 – 6)
2. Is she attractive, in his opinion?
3. What does he think of her breath and her voice?
4. How does she compare to a goddess?
5. On the basis of these comments, does Shakespeare love his
mistress?
6. Read lines 13 – 14. Aren’t these lines a contradiction to lines 1-
12? Explain why or why not.
7. What type of sonnet is this?
8. Label the poem with its rhyme scheme.
9. What is the conclusion in the rhyming couplet

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WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

MY MISTRESS’ EYES ARE

There are two types of sonnet:

• Italian / Petrarchan: an octave and a

Coral is far more red than her lips' red;

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