Question

Which statement best summarizes William Shakespeare’s Sonnet 130? 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 130 compares and contrasts the speaker’s mistress with beautiful elements in nature and finds her more beautiful. B. Sonnet 130 is a traditional love sonnet with the speaker giving numerous descriptions of his mistress’s beauty and positive qualities. C. Sonnet 130 parodies a traditional love sonnet by bringing out the flaws in the physical beauty of the mistress. D. Sonnet 130 lists a multitude of flaws in the beauty of the mistress in order to show her in an uncomplimentary light

Answer 1

I think its D if not maybe its A

Answer 2

Answer: The correct answer is C.

Explanation:

   In the 14th century, poets such as Petrarch used to write love sonnets about idealized women. They were compared to elements of nature, portraying them as perfect and as having an extraordinary beauty. For instance, her eyes were bright like the sun, her lips were red as coral, her cheeks were like roses or her voice was like music. Mistresses were white, slender with blonde hair and had a silky smooth skin.

   In Shakespeare's poem 130, he writes a parody of those traditional love poems and  ridicules the descriptions of the perfect mistress. His description is based on the same conventions found in love poems but quite the opposite. The woman in the poem is far from being the goddess with the perfect beauty. Her eyes are not like the sun, her lips are not red, her hair stands out like wires, her breath doesn't smell like perfume, her voice is not a pleasant sound, she seems to walk like an ordinary person would.

By mentioning her flaws or her not-so-perfect beauty, he is not making fun of women, he is being honest. He seems to accept her mistress the way she is.  In fact, in the couplet ( the last two lines of a sonnet), there's an affirmation of the speaker's love for her.