"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 damask'd, 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."
Gotta love Shakespeare. In a sort of act of mocking other poems with a vast amount of positive imagery and metaphors so unrealistic, he redefines the art of poetry. He writes about something real, something everyday, something normal. However, it opens people's eyes because for so long poetry was written with unrealistic ideals to make it sound more interesting and pleasing. So when Shakespeare wrote about something real that wasn't fabricated by images that one could only dream of people at the time may not have understood it so well, but that's where the last two lines come into play. At first the entire poem seems like it's just a comedy and maybe even brutally harsh. However, in the end, typical of sonnets, the tables turn and you get the message of the entire poem. Though this girl doesn't shine like an angel or have a face too perfect for words or smell like fresh flowers or something ridiculous like that she is still whom I love and that's rare compared to all that other false imagery...
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3 comments:
Teddy, what you said about the realistic version of that fairy-tale mumbo jumbo was very correct. Shakespeare did indeed mock and unfabricate the meaning of what it means to be beautiful. I feel you really understand and find it humorous as i do especailly when he seems to talked about his lovers breath.
However, there is only one thing I do not agree with you on is that other poems before that maybe weren't too mellow dramatic as they seem, I mean i'm sure we've all met that girl where you feel like God created her very appealing to the eyes and that it seems like the sun rises and sets in her eyes, where her beauty out looks even the most pretty gods. But other than that I really enjoyed your reflection.
I loved your analysis. It made me laugh. It is true how Shakespeare made the woman he loves look like the ugly witch of the west, which made it more interesting to read, but he was being true to himself and others. In a way, i think hes insulting other poets who would write about their lovers having "eyes like stars" or an "angelic smile" because they exaggerated in their writing. Unlike the Shakespeare who tried something new and had a good outcome. Shakespeare is awesome. :)
i liked your response very much. in shakespeares day, im sure people reading this poem were apalled by shakespeares mockery and degrading words. everybody deserves somebody, no matter how they look or act. ugly girls need lovin too.
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