The Beauty of Shakespeare's Sonnet 130

            Shakespeare’s Sonnet 130 mostly follows the general structure of sonnets.  It has 14 lines, 3 quatrains and 1 couplet.  The rhyme scheme is ababcdcdefefgg with 10 syllables per line in iambic pentameter.  The first part of the sonnet introduces the idea that Shakespeare’s lover is not typically beautiful.  The third part ends with his declaration of his love for her.  But instead of the second part introducing a turn or change, Shakespeare uses 12 lines to describe her flaws.  The first 4 lines each describe 1 flaw then the next 8 lines use 2 lines to describe each flaw.   The change as well as the conclusion both come in the final couplet.  So even Shakespeare doesn’t follow the exact sonnet structure in Sonnet 130.

            A line by line paraphrase of Sonnet 130 is:

My love’s eyes are not like the sun

Coral is redder than her lips

If snow is white, her breasts are dull

If hair is wire, hers is black wire

I have seen red and white roses

Her cheeks are not rosy

In perfume there is more delight

Than in my lover’s breath

I love her voice, but

Music is more pleasing

I’ve never seen a goddess

But my love walks on ground

And yet, I think my love is as special

As any other woman represented by these fake comparisons.

            Taken together, much of the sonnet describes Shakespeare’s lover as imperfect.  Her eyes don’t shine.  Her lips are not red.  Her breasts not white.  Her hair is like black wires.  Her cheeks are not rosy, her breath not sweet smelling, her voice not pleasing.  She is no goddess.  But although she’s no classic beauty, he thinks she’s more beautiful than the fake and clichéd ideas of beauty.  Shakespeare is challenging the traditional view of beauty.  He’s also criticizing caring just about the outside instead of what’s inside a person.  Shakespeare’s view of women and beauty is ahead of his time.  Instead of comparing women to perfection in nature his view of beauty is how he feels about women.  In Sonnet 130, Shakespeare didn’t see women as objects or symbols.  He instead appreciates women for who they are with all their imperfections. 

Shakespeare’s message still applies today.  Our society is so concerned with how people look and dress and obsessed with unnatural comparisons to models and movie stars.  Shakespeare realized that people aren’t perfect and are actually special because they are individuals.   I agree with Shakespeare’ s sentiment that we should love people for who they really are instead of what everyone thinks they should be.  Sometimes it’s hard to be different than what’s accepted but it’s important to be real and loved for who you are.  Shakespeare realized all of this and that’s another reason to appreciate him and his work.