Sonnet 130 William Shakespeare Shakespeare wrote over 20 poems about the Dark Lady who remains a mysterious figure. We try and build up a picture of her from the poem. Images of the authors are courtesy of The University of Texas at Austin. An unconventional love poem

The poet's attitude toward the poem's subject matter, as interpreted by the reader. The poem’s tone is created by the poem's diction, syntax, use of figurative language and rhyme. Syntax refers to word order, and the way in which it works with grammatical structures. As we are used to hearing things in certain orders, the effect of breaking with normal syntax is to draw attention to what is being said. http://marrasouk.com

Some prior theory  Understanding PARODY

A Parody is a work that mimics, in an absurd or ridiculous way, the conventions and style of another work - in order to derive ridicule, ironic comment or affectionate fun.

Parody “Any cultural practice which provides a relatively suggestive imitation of another cultural production or practice.” Below are some parodies of well-known images, texts and movies The Nike Tick

Taylor Swift Bad Blood Music Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcIy9NiNbmo Bad Blood Parody https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEkJOb3V5U8

What is a sonnet? A sonnet is a 14 line poem which traditionally is used as a way to declare love for someone – you say brilliant things about them and tell them how much you love them! Early sonnets were used to express one’s love for someone else – they were usually used to idolise a woman. DISCUSS: What sort of things would you put in a sonnet? What kind of comparisons would you make when speaking about a loved one? If you loved them would you compare them to something nice or horrible?

Form of a Shakespearean Sonnet

Sonnet 130 A sonnet: 14 lines iambic pentameter 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. A sonnet: 14 lines iambic pentameter carefully patterned rhyme scheme. Often used in love poetry; Its perfect form could be seen to reflect the perfect nature of love and romance The iambic pentameter is similar to a heartbeat. Try reading it!

Notice the rhyme scheme – ABAB and then ends in a rhyming couplet. 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 Notice the rhyme scheme – ABAB and then ends in a rhyming couplet.

But in his unconventional love poem Shakespeare Eyes and lips are traditionally compared and are commonly referred to when describing female beauty A traditional comparison In a conventional love poem the writer would exaggerate how beautiful his mistress is: My mistress' eyes are more fantastic than the sun; But in his unconventional love poem Shakespeare underplays how beautiful his mistress is: What effect does this line have on the reader? “My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun;” Does it make us wonder what her eyes are like? My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun; He has turned around the convention of exaggerated praise http://marrasouk.com

He carries on with the unconventional approach in the next lines desirable feature Her lips aren't red Pink-orange colour Coral is far more red than her lips' red Something of a cliche The conventional Grey, brown colour If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun Is he saying she is not beautiful or is he saying she is beautiful in a different way? Can we answer this or do we need to read on?

In the next lines he moves on to describe other physical features If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head. So she is not conventionally beautiful Gold wires were used in head-dress and compared to golden hair Blondes were more highly rated mixed A woman would usually be compared to something like a rose Is he disparaging his mistress or do these lines enhance the idea of unconventional beauty? I have seen roses damask'd, red and white But she doesn’t have this complexion But no such roses see I in her cheeks;

The author moves from how she looks to how she smells And in some perfumes is there more delight Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks. “Reeks” didn’t have as negative a meaning in Shakespeare’s time, but it was still considered rude. In conventional love poems you would say her breath was sweeter than perfume But Shakespeare takes an unconventional approach

The next feature is the sound of her voice I love to hear her speak, yet well I know That music hath a far more pleasing sound; He’s not being critical of her voice: all he’s saying is that music has a more pleasing sound A turning point in the poem – even though he knows there is music that sounds better, he would rather listen to his love speak. He actually likes something about her!! A direct statement; he would rather listen to his mistress than music, even though music sounds superior. In the conventional love poem the writer would say that her voice was sweeter than music

The poet describes how his mistress walks However, divine comparisons are not relevant, for his beloved is beautiful without having to be a Goddess. He is being REALISTIC about her. The poet describes how his mistress walks I admit to you I’ve never seen a goddess walk I grant I never saw a goddess go; My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground: My mistress walks like anyone else, on the ground, she is earthly rather than god-like In a conventional love poem she would be described as a goddess He’s stating that his love is human and experiences the realities of human fault. He is admitting she is flawed.

So does the poet think that his mistress is beautiful or what? The last two lines are referred to as a rhyming couplet. So does the poet think that his mistress is beautiful or what? exceptional Direct statement, telling us what he thinks And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare As any she belied with false compare. The poet thinks she’s beautiful but doesn’t want to describe her in a cliched way such as other poets did during his time. She is as beautiful as any woman who is praised with false comparisons

A sonnet has 14 lines rhyme scheme The first 12 lines are ABAB 3 quatrains Groups of 4 lines 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. And ends with a closing couplet And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare As any she belied with false compare. Sums things up

And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare G As any she belied with false compare. G The rhyme scheme of the rhyming couplet emphasises the rhyming couplet at the end; this is where the true nature of his feelings are revealed. Shakespeare is mocking clichés; he wants to show real love as something deeper than a string of unrealistic compliments. Shakespeare is breaking the tradition of love poetry; the idea of courtly love is replaced with something more ‘real’, more genuine.

He makes many negative comparisons. And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare As any she belied with false compare. The poet is satirising the tradition of comparing one’s love to all things beautiful, divine and immortal. He makes many negative comparisons. But these final lines suggest that she is beyond all these things just by being herself: mortal and approachable. Rare = precious, superb, of fine and unusual quality He thinks that his love is more special, than those which are based on superficial comparisons.