Summary

The poem introduces a number of tropes of romantic love, in which the subject is compared (traditionally favorably) to objects. Here, though, the speaker is clear that his mistress is in fact much less beautiful than these things. Her eyes do not resemble the brightness of the sun. Coral is more red than her lips. Her breasts are dark in color, not snow-white according to the beauty standard. Her hair is black and wiry. Her cheeks do not resemble roses. Her breath smells. He loves her voice, but it is not musical. She walks on the ground, not floating through the air like a goddess. However, the poem ends with a clear assertion of the power of his love: others may write in false praise of those they love, but his love, which is honest, is more true.

Analysis

Sonnet 130 is a clever subversion...