“Sonnet 130: My mistress' eyes are nothing like the
sun' [45 mins]
1. Introduction
What do you think of when you think of a love poem? If you think it’s sappy and silly, you’re
in for a treat as our first poem turns the conventional love poem on its head! Shakespeare's
Sonnet 130 is a special type of poem, a sonnet, which has a very particular structure.
You might be interested to know that the English word for sonnet comes from the Italian
word sonetto, which means 'little song'. There are various types of sonnet, the simplest and
most common being the English or Shakespearean sonnet. It is a versatile form of poetry
that is brief enough to compress lyrical thinking and long enough to incorporate detail.
Themes range from love, mortality and beauty to jealousy, time passing and infidelity.
Watch US Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith discuss sonnets. You only need to watch the first
minute of the video: U.S. Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith Talks About Sonnets
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:
● Annotate your initial understanding of the poem.
2. What is a sonnet?
2.1 About Shakespeare and his sonnets
Shakespeare wrote 154 sonnets over a period of 30 years. Of these poems, 126 were
addressed to a younger person dealing with the subject of mortality, and the rest were
addressed to a woman known only as the 'Dark Lady'. The speaker’s attitude towards this
'Dark Lady' is not typical of the one between lovers and suggests a difficult relationship.
Furthermore, within the 126 sonnets, several appear to be addressed to a 'Rival Poet'.
Shakespeare’s sonnets date back to around the 1590s up until 1605 and they were
published by Thomas Thorpe in 1609. Whether Shakespeare had knowledge of this
publication is unknown, as he seems to have written them recreationally for an exclusive
audience or solely for his own enjoyment.
2.2 About sonnets
Poets who write sonnets are called sonneteers. Most sonnets lavishly praise their subject in
a type of sonnet called a blazon. Sonnet 130 differs from the rest in that it is a type of
anti-blazon that pokes fun at other sonnets by adopting lavish descriptions to describe the
worst rather than the best parts of the female subject. Sonnet 130 is also among the most
famous of Shakespeare’s sonnets. Learn more about sonnets by watching the following
video: "What is a Sonnet?": A Literary Guide for English Students and Teachers
Definitions
Sonneteer – Someone who writes sonnets.
Blazon – A sonnet characterised by the lavish praise of the individual body parts of a
woman.
sun' [45 mins]
1. Introduction
What do you think of when you think of a love poem? If you think it’s sappy and silly, you’re
in for a treat as our first poem turns the conventional love poem on its head! Shakespeare's
Sonnet 130 is a special type of poem, a sonnet, which has a very particular structure.
You might be interested to know that the English word for sonnet comes from the Italian
word sonetto, which means 'little song'. There are various types of sonnet, the simplest and
most common being the English or Shakespearean sonnet. It is a versatile form of poetry
that is brief enough to compress lyrical thinking and long enough to incorporate detail.
Themes range from love, mortality and beauty to jealousy, time passing and infidelity.
Watch US Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith discuss sonnets. You only need to watch the first
minute of the video: U.S. Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith Talks About Sonnets
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:
● Annotate your initial understanding of the poem.
2. What is a sonnet?
2.1 About Shakespeare and his sonnets
Shakespeare wrote 154 sonnets over a period of 30 years. Of these poems, 126 were
addressed to a younger person dealing with the subject of mortality, and the rest were
addressed to a woman known only as the 'Dark Lady'. The speaker’s attitude towards this
'Dark Lady' is not typical of the one between lovers and suggests a difficult relationship.
Furthermore, within the 126 sonnets, several appear to be addressed to a 'Rival Poet'.
Shakespeare’s sonnets date back to around the 1590s up until 1605 and they were
published by Thomas Thorpe in 1609. Whether Shakespeare had knowledge of this
publication is unknown, as he seems to have written them recreationally for an exclusive
audience or solely for his own enjoyment.
2.2 About sonnets
Poets who write sonnets are called sonneteers. Most sonnets lavishly praise their subject in
a type of sonnet called a blazon. Sonnet 130 differs from the rest in that it is a type of
anti-blazon that pokes fun at other sonnets by adopting lavish descriptions to describe the
worst rather than the best parts of the female subject. Sonnet 130 is also among the most
famous of Shakespeare’s sonnets. Learn more about sonnets by watching the following
video: "What is a Sonnet?": A Literary Guide for English Students and Teachers
Definitions
Sonneteer – Someone who writes sonnets.
Blazon – A sonnet characterised by the lavish praise of the individual body parts of a
woman.
