Sonnet 130 (My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun)
Summary
Sonnet 130 (My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun)
A Shakespearean Renaissance sonnet that satirises the idealistic descriptions of beauty in the Elizabethan era. The lyric persona uses stereotypical Renaissance nature imagery to contrast his mistress with. In the end, he indicates that his love is truer as it is not based on “false compare”.
This sonnet, which is in the public domain, provides a good source for comparisons with other love poems and the use of nature and its characteristics.
Critical edition
Shakespeare, William. "Sonnet 18." The Oxford Shakespeare: The Complete Sonnets and Poems, edited by Stanley Wells, Oxford UP, 2008. 14 l., ISBN 9780199535798