Have you ever heard or read some beautiful yet problematic songs like “ye chaand sa roshan chehra, zulfon ka rang sunehra” (This moon-like radiant face, with hair the color of gold) and poems like “O my Luve is like a red, red rose”? 

It might sound romantic but they are a little far-fetched. Can you imagine your beloved with a face covered in craters like the moon or a nose with a thorn-like rose? Just Kidding.

But we will question such unrealistic descriptions in this blog post with a special reference to William Shakespeare’s Sonnet 130. The points that we will discuss are:

Sonnet 130 summary

The speaker presents a realistic portrayal of his beloved. The speaker, in the first quatrain, begins the sonnet by refusing to follow the common unrealistic expressions used in love poems to describe his mistress.

His love does not have any significant qualities like having bright eyes like the sun, coral-like lips, snow-like breasts, or beautiful and sleek hair.

The second quatrain continues the negative comparisons. He says that his lover’s cheeks are not like roses, and the smell of her breath is not sweet.

Moreover, He says in the third quatrain, his lover’s voice is not pleasing like music and she is not like a divine figure who never sets feet on the ground.

Despite such imperfections, the speaker states that his love is rare and he loves her unconditionally.

Sonnet 130 Analysis

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.

The speaker describes the physical attributions of his beloved in the first quatrain. It is a common compliment in poems to compare a woman to that celestial objects like the sun, the moon, etc. For example,

ye chaand sa roshan chehra, zulfon ka rang sunehra.

ye jheel si neeli aankhein, koi raaz hai inme gehera.

(This moon-like radiant face, with hair the color of gold,

These blue lake-like eyes have a deep secret to behold.)

Unlike the conventional love sonnets, her eyes are not bright like the sun. She does not have lustrous eyes. The use of the word “nothing” reinforces the difference between the portrayal of a flawless woman and a flawed mistress.

Coral is far redder than her lips. Her lips possibly range from medium to dark brown. Unlike those beautiful women in poems, she does not have red lips that can attract men. 

Though it seems the speaker is complaining about the woman for not being like the sun, or not having red-like coral lips, it is the real depiction. 

The third line states that the woman’s breast color is not white like snow, it is rather a dull greyish-brown color. The speaker poses a question, “If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun”. 

The line could suggest that the speaker asks a question to those poets if they can explain the reason why the color of his beloved’s breast is dun or brown color. The poets often associate white like snow with the color of a woman. White becomes the beauty standard. 

The word ‘white’ in the first clause of the third line is contrasted with the word ‘brown’ in the second clause. If the skin color is not white, isn’t she beautiful? Who decides what is beautiful or not? 

“Wire” most possibly refers to the texture and flexibility of hair which can be styled as per the wish of a woman. Black hair, which suggests the absence of attractiveness, was not traditionally associated with beauty during Shakespeare’s days. Unfortunately, her hair is black.

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.

The speaker goes on to tell the ordinariness of the woman’s appearance. He says that he has seen roses: red and white but his sweetheart does not follow the traditional standards of beauty. 

Comparing a woman’s cheeks to roses is a common expression in poetry. For example, in “A Red, Red Rose” by Robert Burns, the speaker compares his beloved to a red rose:

“O my Luve is like a red, red rose

That’s newly sprung in June;

O my Luve is like the melody

That’s sweetly played in tune.”

His mistress does not correspond to the metaphors such as sun, coral, wires, and roses that he finds in other love poems. 

On the other hand, the speaker’s lover’s cheeks are not beautiful like roses. He does not see such beauty in her check to make him feel compelled to compare her to roses. 

The third line of the second quatrain points out another misconception, that the breath of the beloved of a man should have fragrance. 

The speaker says that some perfumes are more pleasant than the breath of his lady-love exhales.

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.

The description of the physical imperfection of the woman continues in the third quatrain of the sonnet. The use of enjambment throughout the sonnet creates a natural flow of thought for the speaker.

The speaker says that he loves his mistress’ voice. It is pleasing for him. However, he also admits that music is more satisfying than her voice. This is again the speaker’s honest commentary on his beloved.

He accepts that he has never seen a goddess walking on earth. The depiction of a woman as an angel or a divine being is also a familiar representation. Such portrayal is reasonable for some artistic purposes or a motto like elevating a woman’s spirit. 

However, putting a woman on a pedestal is far fetch representation and it is unrealistic for many women, in general, to imagine themselves in that space. 

Unlike a goddess or an angel, the speaker’s love treads on the ground when she walks. She does not walk graciously which makes her a real human being than an idealized being. By not treading on the heels of the traditional poets, the speaker rejects the conventional approach.

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

As any she belied with false compare.

Instead of projecting the speaker’s mistress as an epitome of beauty, he concludes his final thought on his view of her. He thinks he loves her truly and his love for her is rare and real.

His love is not based on an untrue and unrealistic judgment of her, but rather on characteristics like loyalty and trustworthiness, and honesty, which we have discussed in Sonnet 116.

The “false compare” refers to the conventional and misleading representation of a subject, a woman, or a work of art by the creator. 

Though she is imperfect, he loves her for her individuality and the way she is. 

Structure

Like Sonnet 18, Sonnet 30, and other Shakespearean sonnets, this sonnet also follows the same Shakespearean sonnet structure. 

Conclusion

Shakespeare’s Sonnet 130 is probably a rare Renaissance poem that throws shade at the traditional standards of beauty and acknowledges his beloved’s true originality.