Whenever you hear the name William Shakespeare, your mind automatically think of his dramatic plays, like Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet. William Shakespeare is also a poet, which he has won recognition for in his time. Robert Frost is also one of the most recognized poets or authors of any literary period. Shakespeare is an important literary figure of the Western world, who, during the Elizabethan period; composed numerous plays that still dominate the theaters to this day (Wikipedia). Frost was an American poet. He is “highly regarded for his realistic depictions of rural life and his command of American colloquial speech” (Wikipedia). Both of these poets have written sonnets that portray love or loneliness, that when analyzed, the poems will reveal much more than meets the eye.
William Shakespeare created his sonnet in reference to an Italian poet by the name of Francesco Petrarch, who spent majority of the 14th century writing a series of love poems to his love interest named Laura (Helium). Shakespeare’s sonnet “My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun,” on the surface could be interpreted exactly as the title states: Shakespeare has a mistress, who although he saw something in her to be with her, has eyes unlike the sun. However, although it is similar to that description broken down, Shakespeare had a much deeper theme and meaning behind the poem. Shakespeare’s sonnet follows a rhyming scheme of abab cdcd efef gg. Like stated previously, Shakespeare compares a mistress of his eyes to the sun. Shakespeare mentions that even though the sun is beautiful, the eyes of his mistress fail in comparison. He immediately establishes his speaker as a bitter man who is disappointed in his mistress’ beauty, as it is not as beautiful as...
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Shakespeare's My Mistress' Eyes Are Nothing Like the Sun Many authors compose sonnets about women whom they loved. Most of these authors embellish their women's physical characteristics by comparing them to natural wonders that we, as humans, find beautiful. Shakespeare's "My Mistress' Eyes Are Nothing Like the Sun" contradicts this idea, by stating that his mistress lacks most of the qualities other men wrongly praise their women for possessing. Shakespeare presents to one that true love recognizes imperfections and feels devotion regardless of flaws, while satirically expressing his personal thoughts on Petrarchan sonnets. Through the use of comparisons, the English sonnet and an anti-Petrarchan approach, he creatively gets his point across.
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At the time of its writing, Shakespeare's one hundred thirtieth sonnet, a highly candid, simple work, introduced a new era of poems. Shakespeare's expression of love was far different from traditional sonnets in the early 1600s, in which poets highly praised their loved ones with sweet words. Instead, Shakespeare satirizes the tradition of comparing one's beloved to the beauties of the sun. From its opening phrase "My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun", shocks the audience because it does not portray a soft, beautiful woman. Despite the negative connotations of his mistress, Shakespeare speaks a true woman and true love. The sonnet is a "how-to" guide to love.
Through the form of sonnet, Shakespeare and Petrarch both address the subject of love, yet there are key contrasts in their style, structure, and in the manner, each approaches their subjects. Moreover, in "Sonnet 130," Shakespeare, in fact, parodies Petrarch's style and thoughts as his storyteller describes his mistress, whose "eyes are in no way as the sun" (Shakespeare 1918). Through his English poem, Shakespeare seems to mock the exaggerated descriptions expanded throughout Petrarch’s work by portraying the speaker’s love in terms that are characteristic of a flawed woman not a goddess. On the other hand, upon a review of "Sonnet 292" from the Canzoniere, through “Introduction to Literature and Arts,” one quickly perceives that Petrarch's work is full of symbolism. However, Petrarch’s utilization of resemblance and the romanticizing of Petrarch's female subject are normal for the Petrarchan style.
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