Sonnet 130 - analyse

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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. Step 1 The Sonnet 130 written by William Shakespeare is an untypical example for romantic and beauty poetry. The poem deals with the topic of the connection between outward beauty and the true love and is addressed to the lyrical you. At first the speaker describes the appearance of his mistress with many comparisons. For that the speaker uses not typical positive compares, he describes a unattractive, negative appearance of his beloved. At the end of the poem the speaker emphasizes that is doesn't matter how she looks like and that real love is deeper just the external beauty. Step 2 The analyzing poem is a sonnet with 14 lines and consists of three quatrains and a couplet. The Sonnet 130 follows the rhyme scheme of the form ABAB CDCD EFEF GG and it is composed in iambic pentameter. Thus, the rhyme scheme and meter are completely regular. There is no refrain in the poem. Step 3 The speaker uses words that evoke negative feelings. Such as Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks“ ( 1. 8). The word „reeks" has a negative connotation, because it implies that his mistress smells, what is always unpleasant for the environment. In the last two lines of the sonnet we get an impression of the speakers feelings. The speaker seems really grateful and happy to have his mistress by his side. The words, by heaven" (I. 13 ) implies, that he is really grateful. The sentence I think my love is rare" ( I. 13 ) shows that the speaker loves the woman just as she is. The word rare" here again emphasizes gratitude and also uniqueness. The sentence structure of the poem appears simple to me, because Shakespeare uses the same construction in most lines. In the first part of the sentence he often describes a very figurative state of mostly something beautiful, such as „ if snow be white" ( I. 3) and in the second part of the sentence he uses a negative comparison, for example .. why then her breasts are dun". He compares in almost the whole poem, which makes it easy to understand. Shakespeare uses a lot visual imagery in his sonnet, such as . coral is far more red than her lips red“ ( I. 2 ), „black wires grow on her head" (1.4), and I never saw a goddess go" ( I. 11 ). There is also some olfactory imagery breath that from my mistress reeks" (1.8) and auditory imagery music hath a fare more pleasing sound" ( I. 10). 11 n In the sonnet 130 are also used many stylistic devices. Shakespeare uses a lot of similes, for example .. Coral is far more red than her lips red" ( I. 2). He uses this to make it clear that the expectations of a good-looking woman are not fulfilled. William Shakespeare declares that black wires grow on her head" ( I. 4). This is obviously a good example for a hyperbole, because no wires can grow out of heads. He uses this to illustrate how terribly unattractive her hair looks. The author utilized also metaphors in this sonnet, such as if snow be white, why then her breasts are dun" ( I. 3 ) or if hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head" (1.4). In the poem are also many enjambments as in line 9-10.. yet well I know that music hath a far more pleasing sound". 11 "1 Step 4 Almost all the examples of images in Sonnet 170, whether visual images, olfactory images or auditory images, show that the speaker finds the woman described quite unattractive on the outside. In this way, Shakespeare surprises the reader, because in the last sentence of the sonnet, it comes out that the speaker loves the woman with all his heart, even though beforehand you think he finds her disgusting, because the imagery's are so strong. In most of the poem, the speaker compares the appearance of his beloved and it seems as if he wants to make her look bad. At the end of the poem (I. 13-14) it suddenly becomes clear that although he does not find her beautiful, he loves her more than anything. He is sending a signal that outward appearances are not so important in true love. I think Shakespeare only clarified this message in the last two lines to make it even more expressive.