1. Poetry Analysis
Shakespearean Sonnet

2. Rhyme Scheme Determine the rhyming pattern of the poem.
My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun
William Shakespeare
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.
Determine the rhyming pattern of the poem.

3. Rhyme Scheme My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun
William Shakespeare
My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun; a
Coral is far more red than her lips' red: b
If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun; a
If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head. b
I have seen roses damask'd, red and white, c
But no such roses see I in her cheeks; d
And in some perfumes is there more delight c
Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks. d
I love to hear her speak,--yet well I know e
That music hath a far more pleasing sound; f
I grant I never saw a goddess go, e
My mistress when she walks, treads on the ground; f
And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare g
As any she, belied with false compare. g

4. Rhythm and Meter Scan the lines to determine rhythm and meter.
My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun;
Coral is far more red than her lips' red:

5. Rhythm and Meter ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ /
~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ /
My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun;
~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ /
Coral is far more red than her lips' red:
Iambic pentameter

6. Quatrains
What type of sensory imagery is demonstrated in the first quatrain (first four lines)?
My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun
William Shakespeare
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.

7. Quatrains
What type of sensory imagery is demonstrated in the first quatrain (first four lines)?
My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun
William Shakespeare
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.
Sight

8. Quatrains
What type of sensory imagery is demonstrated in the second quatrain?
My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun
William Shakespeare
. . .
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.

9. Quatrains
What type of sensory imagery is demonstrated in the second quatrain?
My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun
William Shakespeare
. . .
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.
Smell

10. Quatrains
What type of sensory imagery is demonstrated in the third quatrain?
My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun
William Shakespeare
. . .
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;

11. Quatrains
What type of sensory imagery is demonstrated in the third quatrain?
My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun
William Shakespeare
. . .
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;
Sound

12. Similes What comparisons do lines 1, 2, and 7-8 make?
My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun
William Shakespeare
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.
What comparisons do lines 1, 2, and 7-8 make?

13. Metaphors What comparisons do lines 3, 4, 5-6, 9-10, and 11-12 depict?
My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun
William Shakespeare
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.
What comparisons do lines 3, 4, 5-6, 9-10, and depict?

14. Irony
My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun
William Shakespeare
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.
How does the final couplet serve as an ironic twist for the conclusion?