Major:- 2

 ■Name Of College : Maharani shree Nandkunverba mahila arts and commerce college 

■Name : Parmar Pavitra Nareshbhai 

■Year :  F.Y.B.A 

■Sem :  1st sem 

■Subject :  English 

■Paper Name :  Major:- 2 [Proficiency in English Literature]

■Date : 5/9/2025

■Professer Name :  Shivangii ma'am

Home Assignment:-

Poem:- My mistress eyes are nothing like the sun

Introduction:-

➡"My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun" is the opening line of Shakespeare's Sonnet 130, a poem known for its unconventional approach to describing beauty. Instead of using the typical flattering comparisons found in love poetry, the speaker directly contrasts his mistress's features with idealized images, highlighting their imperfections. This unconventional approach ultimately leads to a declaration of genuine and rare love for his mistress, despite her not fitting the conventional beauty standards of the time. 

Summary:-

➡This sonnet compares the speaker’s lover to a number of other beauties—and never in the lover’s favor. Her eyes are “nothing like the sun,” her lips are less red than coral; compared to white snow, her breasts are dun-colored, and her hairs are like black wires on her head. In the second quatrain, the speaker says he has seen roses separated by color (“damasked”) into red and white, but he sees no such roses in his mistress’s cheeks; and he says the breath that “reeks” from his mistress is less delightful than perfume. In the third quatrain, he admits that, though he loves her voice, music “hath a far more pleasing sound,” and that, though he has never seen a goddess, his mistress—unlike goddesses—walks on the ground. In the couplet, however, the speaker declares that, “by heav’n,” he thinks his love as rare and valuable “As any she belied with false compare”—that is, any love in which false comparisons were invoked to describe the loved one’s beauty.

Analysis:-

➡This sonnet, one of Shakespeare’s most famous, plays an elaborate joke on the conventions of love poetry common to Shakespeare’s day, and it is so well-conceived that the joke remains funny today. Most sonnet sequences in Elizabethan England were modeled after that of Petrarch. Petrarch’s famous sonnet sequence was written as a series of love poems to an idealized and idolized mistress named Laura. In the sonnets, Petrarch praises her beauty, her worth, and her perfection using an extraordinary variety of metaphors based largely on natural beauties. In Shakespeare’s day, these metaphors had already become cliche (as, indeed, they still are today), but they were still the accepted technique for writing love poetry. The result was that poems tended to make highly idealizing comparisons between nature and the poets’ lover that were, if taken literally, completely ridiculous. My mistress’ eyes are like the sun; her lips are red as coral; her cheeks are like roses, her breasts are white as snow, her voice is like music, she is a goddess.

In many ways, Shakespeare’s sonnets subvert and reverse the conventions of the Petrarchan love sequence: the idealizing love poems, for instance, are written not to a perfect woman but to an admittedly imperfect man, and the love poems to the dark lady are anything but idealizing (“My love is as a fever, longing still / For that which longer nurseth the disease” is hardly a Petrarchan conceit.) Sonnet 130 mocks the typical Petrarchan metaphors by presenting a speaker who seems to take them at face value, and somewhat bemusedly, decides to tell the truth. Your mistress’ eyes are like the sun? That’s strange—my mistress’ eyes aren’t at all like the sun. Your mistress’ breath smells like perfume? My mistress’ breath reeks compared to perfume. In the couplet, then, the speaker shows his full intent, which is to insist that love does not need these conceits in order to be real; and women do not need to look like flowers or the sun in order to be beautiful.

The rhetorical structure of Sonnet 130 is important to its effect. In the first quatrain, the speaker spends one line on each comparison between his mistress and something else (the sun, coral, snow, and wires—the one positive thing in the whole poem some part of his mistress is like. In the second and third quatrains, he expands the descriptions to occupy two lines each, so that roses/cheeks, perfume/breath, music/voice, and goddess/mistress each receive a pair of unrhymed lines. This creates the effect of an expanding and developing argument, and neatly prevents the poem—which does, after all, rely on a single kind of joke for its first twelve lines—from becoming stagnant.

Class Assignment:-

➡Beauty and Love:-

The poet criticizes the unrealistic beauty presented in love poetry. He states that his mistress’ eyes are not like the sun. Her lips are not as red as coral. He also claims that her cheeks do not have the colour of roses. These comparisons assert that love should not be based on false ideals. Instead, the real beauty lies in imperfection.

➡Reality and Honesty:-

The poem presents an honest view of the mistress. The poet does not describe her as a goddess. He admits that her voice is not as sweet as music. He again says that her breath is not as pleasant as perfume. However, he rejects false comparisons and accepts her as she is. This theme emphasizes the importance of truth in love.

➡Love Beyond Appearance:-

The final lines reveal the poet’s deep and real love. He states that his mistress is rare and valuable. She is unlike any woman falsely described by other poets. This theme highlights that love is not about external beauty. However, it is about true affection and connection.

In termination, the poem criticizes traditional love poetry. He rejected exaggerated praise. The text claims that true love is found beyond physical appearance. Here, Shakespeare presents a deep and realistic approach to love.

Essay:-

☆What is literature ?

Literature is the artistic expression of human thoughts, feelings, and experiences through written or spoken words. It is more than just stories or poems; it reflects life, culture, and society. Literature uses creativity and imagination to communicate ideas in a way that touches both the heart and mind.

From ancient epics like the Ramayana to modern novels and poetry, literature has always been a mirror of human life. It explores universal themes such as love, duty, freedom, and justice, making it timeless and relevant across generations.

Literature also shapes our understanding of the world. It helps us see life from different perspectives, improves our imagination, and strengthens values like empathy and wisdom.

In short, literature is not only a form of art but also a powerful tool of learning and inspiration. It is the voice of humanity that connects the past, present, and future.