Sonnet 130 by William Shakespeare

 

Quick Notes - Sonnet 130

Glossary

1 My … sun: i.e. her eyes are not bright and shining.

3 dun: dull coloured, or greyish-brown.

4 wires: (gold) wires. Ornamental head-dresses of the period often contained gold wires, so that it was quite normal to compare lush blonde hair with the gold wires in the head-dress above. Blonde was fashionable then, as now. The mistress, however, has black and not blonde hair.

5 damasked: mingled (red and white). Damask roses were a sweet-smelling variety popular at the time.

8 reeks: is exhaled. The word was not used then with our heavily negative sense, but more neutrally.

11 go: walk. You were supposed to be able to recognize a goddess by the way she walked.

13 rare: admirable, extraordinary.

14 she: woman.

Belied: misrepresented.

Compare: comparison.

Commentary

1. Sonnet 130 in Shakespeare’s Sequence: Sonnet 130 is the 130th out of 154 sonnets in Shakespeare’s sonnet sequence, published in 1609. These sonnets are known for their exploration of love, beauty, and relationships.
2. Focus on the “Dark Lady”: While most of Shakespeare’s sonnets are addressed to a young man, the latter part of the sequence introduces the “Dark Lady,” a woman with whom he appears to have had a complex and challenging relationship. Sonnet 130 is thought to refer to this “Dark Lady,” although her name remains unknown.
3. Unconventional Love Poem: In Elizabethan poetry, it was customary to write sonnets praising a beloved woman’s beauty, often using extravagant metaphors to describe her physical attributes. Shakespeare’s Sonnet 130 takes an unconventional approach by defying these conventions.
4. Realism Over Exaggeration: Instead of exaggerating and idealizing the woman’s beauty, Shakespeare emphasizes her humanity. He rejects the poetic clichés and hyperbolic descriptions commonly found in love poetry of his time.
5. Inversions and Realism: The sonnet features a series of inversions. Shakespeare challenges typical compliments, such as comparing the woman’s eyes to the sun or her cheeks to roses, by describing her features in a more down-to-earth manner.
6. Praising Real Beauty: Despite the rejection of traditional compliments, Shakespeare’s intent is to praise the woman’s real beauty. He admires her in realistic terms, implying that her true beauty is more genuine than the exaggerated descriptions found in conventional poetry.
7. Importance of Realism: Shakespeare’s sonnet underscores the importance of viewing his beloved realistically. He refuses to engage in the game of falsely praising her beauty and insists on genuine admiration.
8. Debunking Conventions: While conventional compliments may be charming and poetic, Shakespeare debunks them to reveal a deeper moral value in realism. By rejecting exaggerated metaphors, he implies the genuine loveliness of his mistress.
9. Transcending Conventions: Shakespeare’s approach transcends conventional praise by overturning the traditional way of describing beauty. He suggests that his love for the woman is even more extraordinary because it is based on authenticity.
10. Sonnet Structure: Sonnet 130 follows the English (or Shakespearean) sonnet form, consisting of three quatrains with alternating rhyme patterns (ababcdcdefef) followed by a concluding couplet (gg). The final couplet provides a strong and resounding statement that emphasizes the real beauty of his beloved.

Analysis

1. Culture of Sincerity and Exaggeration: In modern society, we often mix conventions of sincerity with extreme exaggeration, especially in advertising. Shakespeare’s culture, however, had a gentler form of artifice and a sharper notion of “sincerity,” often referred to as “wit” – a combination of seriousness and playfulness.
2. Wittiness in the Poem: Sonnet 130 is considered witty. The poet genuinely praises his mistress’s beauty while playfully subverting conventional compliments, rendering them gently absurd.
3. Anatomizing a Woman’s Beauty: The convention of dissecting a woman’s beauty by exaggerating each feature can be viewed in various ways. It may be seen as sexist, playful, graceful, or a blend of these qualities. Interpretation depends on one’s perspective.
4. Shakespeare’s Overturning of Conventions: Shakespeare dismantles these conventions, potentially avoiding sexism by exposing them as silly. Whether he is entirely subverting them or using their force is open to interpretation.
5. Humor in the Poem: The poem has a humorous element, evident in lines like “I grant I never saw a goddess go,” where the exaggerated alliteration adds to the humor. The poet’s insistence that his mistress doesn’t walk like a goddess can be seen as funny.
6. Target Audience: The intended audience for Shakespeare’s jokes about a woman’s beauty is a matter of debate. It could be aimed at both male and female audiences, as the humor and subversion of conventional compliments can be appreciated by people of all genders.

In essence, Sonnet 130 offers a unique perspective on love and beauty, blending sincerity and wit to both praise and gently mock the conventions of Elizabethan love poetry. The interpretation of its humor, playfulness, and subversion of conventions can vary depending on the reader’s perspective and sensitivity to the historical context in which it was written.

Summary

1. Authorship and Publication: “Sonnet 130” was composed by the renowned English poet and playwright William Shakespeare. Although it was likely written in the 1590s, it wasn’t published until 1609. The poem is part of a collection of sonnets that explore themes of beauty, love, and desire.
2. A Departure from Conventional Praise: In “Sonnet 130,” Shakespeare takes a departure from the conventional praise poetry of his time. He seeks a more authentic and realistic way to express his feelings about his beloved, in contrast to the highly artificial poems of praise written by his contemporaries.
3. Formal Structure - Shakespearean Sonnet: This poem also deviates from the formal structure of contemporary sonnets. It is known as a “Shakespearean” sonnet, characterized by its rhyme scheme of abab cdcd efef gg, in contrast to the Petrarchan or Italian sonnet form used by other poets of the time.