Shakespeare's Sonnet 130 parodies the conventions of sonnets by his contemporaries that falsely praised women's beauty. Where previous sonnets attributed rare beauty to mistresses, Sonnet 130 describes the poet's mistress realistically, stating she has none of the usual exaggerated beauty traits like bright eyes or red lips. Though lacking conventional beauty, the poet's love for her is as genuine as those of other sonnets, rejecting the need to artificially beautify women with words. The theme is rejecting superficial conventions of love poetry in favor of truthful emotion.

1. What according to you is the theme of Shakespeare’s sonnet ,no -130 ? How does the poet deal with the theme ?
Shakespeare’s sonnet no-130 , is simply a parody on the sonnets of the poet’s contemporaries , and his predecessors
. Here he deviates from the convention of the false praise of a mistress , and attribution of rarest beauties on her , as
practiced by his contemporaries and predecessors . It seems that here the poet does not speak of his mistress ,- the
Dark Lady . She simply becomes a butt of the poet’s criticism on the fashion of flattering a lady as his Italian
predecessor Petrarch and his Elizabethan contemporaries did .
What according to you is the theme of Shakespeare’s sonnet ,no -130 ? How does the poet deal with the theme ?
Shakespeare’s sonnet no-130 , is simply a parody on the sonnets of the poet’s contemporaries , and his predecessors
. Here he deviates from the convention of the false praise of a mistress , and attribution of rarest beauties on her , as
practiced by his contemporaries and predecessors . It seems that here the poet does not speak of his mistress , - the
Dark Lady . She simply becomes a butt of the poet’s criticism on the fashion of flattering a lady as his Italian
predecessor Petrarch and his Elizabethan contemporaries did .
Sonnet no-130 belongs to the Dark Lady –series of sonnet that begins from 127th sonnet and continues up to 152th
sonnet .In this sonnet the poet simply tells that his love to the Dark Lady does not depend on her external beauty .
He loves her for love’s sake .He clearly states that her lady love has none of the conventional beauties ,she is a most
commonplace woman .
The poet states that his lady-love’s eyes are not bright like the sun .Her lips are not as read as sea -coral
. Her breasts are rather brown cum gray , than to be snow-whitish .Her hairs are natural black , and
they are not like golden-wires .The poet confirms that the cheeks of her lady do not tinge the twin- glow
of red and white color of rose . Again the breath of the mistress smells unpleasant odor and it is even
not like the common perfumes . The mistress’ vocal sound is like the common speech of a woman , and
the poet finds no musical melody in it .Again in her walk the poet finds the walk of a work-a –day lady ,
not a fairy from heaven .In spite of all these common dispositions of the lady , the poet finds his love
genuine . He need no artificial ornamentation for loving his mistress .
What the poet needs , is the genial attraction in man-woman relationship which requires no artificial adornment
.Again a mistress to a lover or a lover to a mistress ,-lives on the mutual bond of their congeal partnership that
demands faith and response to each other .
The poet here in this sonnet mocks those poets who wrote sonnets only to win the favor of their mistress by flattery .
Petrarch ,-the Italian sonnet -master ,-displays his imagination on his unrequited love to Laura and beautifies her
with all the beauties of nature . The same happens in case of Sir Philip Sidney who in his sonnet sequence . -
Astrophel and Stella, glorifies his mistress ,- Penelope Devereux with the hyperbolic beauties of nature , and makes
her as gorgeous as a living goddess on the earth . . The same again is found in sonnet of Bartholomew Griffin’s
sonnet ,-From Fidessa which seems to be the summation of all the magnificent beauties with which a lady in
conventional sonnet finds adoration .Some lines of ,-From Fidessa ,-invite trenchant contrast with sonnet no 130 :
My Lady's hair is threads of beaten gold;
My Lady's hair is threads of beaten gold;
Her pretty lips of red vermilion dye;
Her hand of ivory the purest white;
Her blush AURORA, or the morning sky.
Her breast displays two silver fountains bright .
Her breast displays two silver fountains bright .
Shakespeare advances step by step ,and brings into account all the elements of comparisons , as sun , coral ,snow ,
hair , damask , music which were the commonest ingredients of dressing a goddess like woman .The poet negates
all those unnecessary exaggerations , and boldly confirms ,-
“And yet by heaven , I think my love as rare ,
As any she belied with false compare”

2. True poetry is not without poetic truth , and poet’s experience passes into his readers . Love the prime subject matter
of poetry ,-can’t have its foundation on airy nothing . Shakespeare in sonnet no 130 unlocks this truth . Poetry again
at bottom is criticism of life . Shakespeare here in a vein of parody ,-hurls his satire on the sonneteers , from
Petrarch down to his contemporaries .
Sonnet no-130 belongs to the Dark Lady –series of sonnet that begins from 127th sonnet and continues up to 152th
sonnet .In this sonnet the poet simply tells that his love to the Dark Lady does not depend on her external beauty .
He loves her for love’s sake .He clearly states that her lady love has none of the conventional beauties ,she is a most
commonplace woman .
The poet states that his lady-love’s eyes are not bright like the sun .Her lips are not as read as sea -coral
. Her breasts are rather brown cum gray , than to be snow-whitish .Her hairs are natural black , and
they are not like golden-wires .The poet confirms that the cheeks of her lady do not tinge the twin- glow
of red and white color of rose . Again the breath of the mistress smells unpleasant odor and it is even
not like the common perfumes . The mistress’ vocal sound is like the common speech of a woman , and
the poet finds no musical melody in it .Again in her walk the poet finds the walk of a work-a –day lady ,
not a fairy from heaven .In spite of all these common dispositions of the lady , the poet finds his love
genuine . He need no artificial ornamentation for loving his mistress .
What the poet needs , is the genial attraction in man-woman relationship which requires no artificial adornment
.Again a mistress to a lover or a lover to a mistress ,-lives on the mutual bond of their congeal partnership that
demands faith and response to each other .
The poet here in this sonnet mocks those poets who wrote sonnets only to win the favor of their mistress by flattery .
Petrarch ,-the Italian sonnet -master ,-displays his imagination on his unrequited love to Laura and beautifies her
with all the beauties of nature . The same happens in case of Sir Philip Sidney who in his sonnet sequence . -
Astrophel and Stella, glorifies his mistress ,- Penelope Devereux with the hyperbolic beauties of nature , and makes
her as gorgeous as a living goddess on the earth . . The same again is found in sonnet of Bartholomew Griffin’s
sonnet ,-From Fidessa which seems to be the summation of all the magnificent beauties with which a lady in
conventional sonnet finds adoration .Some lines of ,-From Fidessa ,-invite trenchant contrast with sonnet no 130 :
My Lady's hair is threads of beaten gold;
My Lady's hair is threads of beaten gold;
Her pretty lips of red vermilion dye;
Her hand of ivory the purest white;
Her blush AURORA, or the morning sky.
Her breast displays two silver fountains bright .
Her breast displays two silver fountains bright .
Shakespeare advances step by step ,and brings into account all the elements of comparisons , as sun , coral ,snow ,
hair , damask , music which were the commonest ingredients of dressing a goddess like woman .The poet negates
all those unnecessary exaggerations , and boldly confirms ,-
“And yet by heaven , I think my love as rare ,
As any she belied with false compare”
True poetry is not without poetic truth , and poet’s experience passes into his readers . Love the prime subject matter
of poetry ,-can’t have its foundation on airy nothing . Shakespeare in sonnet no 130 unlocks this truth . Poetry again
at bottom is criticism of life . Shakespeare here in a vein of parody ,-hurls his satire on the sonneteers , from
Petrarch down to his contemporaries .