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| Intro | The Poem | Summary | Themes, Quotes |
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In a Nutshell
Why Should I Care?
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The Poem
How to Read a Poem
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Summary
Line-by-Line
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Theme List
Quotes by Theme
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| Study Questions | Did You Know? | Best of the Web | Technique |
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Big Picture Study Questions
Study Questions by Theme
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Brain Snacks
Sex Rating
Shout Outs
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Photos & Pics
Books, Movies, & TV
Documents, Video, & Audio
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Symbols, Imagery, Wordplay
Form and Meter
Speaker Point of View
Sound Check
What's Up with the Title?
Calling Card
Tough-O-Meter
Setting
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Sonnet 130 Symbolism, Imagery, and WordplayThere’s more to a poem than meets the eye.
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Welcome to the land of symbols, imagery, and wordplay. Before you travel any further, please know that there may be some thorny academic terminology ahead. Never fear, Shmoop is here. Check out our "How to Read a Poem" section for a glossary of terms.
The MistressShe's definitely the star of this show. Every line refers to her, whether it's describing her appearance or her smell or the way she walks. We learn a few things about her, like the color of her hair and her skin. In general, though, she's a little more like an idea than a real person. Instead of being a fully drawn character like Hamlet or Juliet, she is mostly here to give the poet a chance to poke fun at exaggerated love poetry. We hear a lot about her, but for the most part, the information is rather vague and negative. Since all the images and symbols in this poem concern her in one way or another, we're going to put the different parts of her under the microscope, just like Shakespeare does.Her EyesEyes are something we focus on in other people, so it's no surprise that they are always cropping up in love poetry. You know the old saying, "The eyes are the windows of the soul"? Well, that's just the kind of frequently used phrase that our speaker doesn't have much time for.
Her LipsLips seem to be among the standard list of things you're supposed to notice in a beautiful woman. Think about a gorgeous movie star, for example. When she has a close-up in a particular scene, the camera tends to focus on her skin, her hair, her eyes, her breasts – all the things that Shakespeare includes here. The idea of breaking a woman into parts in order to praise her beauty has a really long history
Her BreastsFor obvious reasons, breasts are a classic symbol of female beauty. We'll keep this G-rated, but you can see why talking about this woman's breasts forces us to think about how we define an ideal woman, and what seems beautiful about her.
Her HairAnother major cliché about women's beauty is that their hair should be silky smooth and shiny. Shakespeare turn this assumption on its head in a big way in this poem. Readers in Shakespeare's time would have recognized all these worn-out comparisons as allusions to images in other love poems. Famous examples of traditional love sonnets include the poems of Petrarch, an Italian poet from the 14th century.
Her CheeksIf the ideal woman in Shakespeare's time was supposed to have skin as white as snow and smooth and blond hair, then her cheeks are probably going to have to be pink and rosy too. You've probably picked up the pattern by now. The more clichés the speaker piles on, the more we see what a silly way this is to compliment someone.
Her BreathFaults such as your hair not being just right, or your eyes being the wrong color, might be easy to overlook; but bad breath, that's something else altogether. Shakespeare seems to be having fun here, pushing his gross-out portrait as far as it will go.
Her VoiceJust a couple more things to round out the list. She should of course have a beautiful voice to go with all the rest of it. Or maybe not…
The Way She Moves…Of course this perfect woman that the speaker is taking apart would have to be as graceful as an angel too. Throughout the poem he's been setting up two portraits, side by side. One is of an ideal fantasy woman that he can't begin to believe in, and the other is of the real, imperfect woman he loves. In these last lines the speaker chooses the real woman over the goddess that he has never even seen.
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