After some hard consideration, I have decided to have a recurring theme come to my blog. My TIL (Things I Love) posts are fun, but I want something a little more constant. I thought to myself, “What could be something fun and unique I could weave into my blog on a regular basis?” Ideas began to flow like fresh brewed Dunkin’ Donuts coffee. “Sunday Snack: a new healthy snack every Sunday”, “Friday Fashion: a photo and outfit I wear to start my weekend”, but they all seemed the same to me. What is something that I have NEVER seen? What is something that I adore? It came to me: “Sonnet Saturday.” Shakespeare’s sonnets are my absolute favorite pieces of his writing. You all know that I love Shakespeare! So without much ado (heh), my all-time favorite Shakespearean sonnet and why I love it.
My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun;
Coral is far more red than her lips’ red;
If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun;
If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.
I have seen roses damask’d, red and white,
But no such roses see I in her cheeks;
And in some perfumes is there more delight
Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.
I love to hear her speak, yet well I know
That music hath a far more pleasing sound;
I grant I never saw a goddess go;
My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground:
And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare
As any she belied with false compare.
Out of 154 sonnets, why do I love this one the most? The speaker is discussing his love in a most unconventional way. A sonnet is typically a poem about something that the speaker loves. Instead, this speaker is talking about how his mistress’ lips aren’t as red as he would like, her hair is kind of wiry, she’s a bit pale, she’s not very graceful, and her voice and breath leave something to be desired. The final two lines talk about how their love is deeper than just what shows on the outside, and this is why I love this sonnet. She might not be the next Kim Kardashian, but he loves her just the way she is.
When I first read this sonnet as an awkward 18 year old in high school, I thought it was strange. Great! He loves her, but he ended up pointing out all of her flaws before getting to the point. When I studied this again in college in one of the two amazing Shakespeare classes I took, I looked at it in a different way. I automatically thought of Keith. Most women (myself included!) don’t have a tiny, tiny waist and a huge chest, perfectly tanned skin, or platinum blonde hair. Most of us don’t always dress up like we’re attending a Hollywood gala every day. I’m pretty sure that 99% of us ladies in the world can usually be found wearing jeans or sweats, have little to no makeup on, and perhaps some stains on our clothes due to the many things women encounter every day like pets, kids, and home improvements. I know that Keith loves to see me all decked out, but he also loves me when my hair is the size of the moon, my jeans are tattered, and my eyeliner that I tried so hard to perfect is now smudged after a day of work.
So, even though this sonnet was written in the 1500s and published later in the early 1600s, the message still reigns true today. Love yourself without the lipstick and the perfect skin, because there will always be someone else who does too.
I like this idea. Very original and cute. I also love the explanations you offer as to why you love it. Great idea, bravo!
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That’s beautiful. Thank you for explaining it! Sonnet Saturdays sounds like an excellent way to promote your blog, I’m sure no one else is doing it!
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I like your interpretation of the sonnet. I didn’t get any of that from it myself. I always hated reading poetry because it never made any sense to me.
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beautiful sonnet and beautiful reasoning. I never really got into shakespear, but I’m pretty sure that’s because I was never really exposed to it, or anything like it in our schools.
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