My Mistress Eyes by Shakespeare - Essay Example

My Mistress Eyes Shakespeare is a poetic legend. His style of writing is unique and intense. The depth that he employed in the work he put out is what has seen his works stand the text of time. Although being an overall artistic writer, he embodied poetry as a style in most of his work. He inclined a lot towards metaphors, ironical statements, and rhetoric in his portrayal of different life situations. Sonnet 130 is considered his most ironical work. It is not quite clear whom the reference was the poem. However, seeing as the persona refers to a mistress it could mean that what he spoke of was a lover. However, the author has not specified this; his use of the term is ambiguous. The word mistress has three identified meanings. The word can be used in reference to a woman that has an ongoing- extra marital relationship, in many cases, with a man that is married. The second meaning of the term is as a prefix to the title that is bestowed upon a married woman – MRS. Lastly, it is used to refer to a woman who holds a position of authority or who exercises control over something or someone. This paper’s focal point is to establish how various statements within the poem could be more sensible should be it taken to mean that his intention for using the word mistress was in the latter regard. From the language used, the author refers to someone that he did not fancy to be in relationship with. The line, “And in some perfumes there is more delight than in the breath that from my mistress reeks (Shakespeare "Sonnet 130", 7-8),” is the best illustration of this. Had Shakespeare, been referring to a lover, his description would not have been as blunt. This could be the true quality of a lover, due to the romantic regard lovers hold to each other; one is more likely to withhold this kind of information. Furthermore, lovers rarely concentrate on the negative attributes that their counterparts have, but rather chose to focus on the positive. Therefore, this disqualifies the notion that the author could have been using the word to refer to a person that he had for a romantic relationship. If one is in a romantic relationship, they are usually very fond of their counterpart. Therefore, they speak of them only in the most alluring and appealing fashion. However, from the poem, the author appears afraid of the person that they are referring. “My mistresses eyes are nothing like the Sun (Shakespeare "Sonnet 130", 1).” the statement itself illustrates that the author does not feel fond of the person in question. He does not feel welcome in their presence. This is very unlikely in a romantic relationship. It beats all logic to assume therefore that there was one because romance is based on love and appeal. There is no reason as to why the persona would have been in a relationship with someone that drew out these kinds of feelings from them. The subject of reference in the poem is not depicting of love. They make no effort into showing love to the persona and that is why the persona is wary of them. A lover usually makes the effort to show their counterpart that they love and value them. A mistress especially, devotes a lot of time to ensure that their loved one feels appreciated. This is because the existence of a mistress usually comes about because of a lacking of said love and appreciation within a marriage. In the same line, “My Mistress eyes are nothing like the sun (Shakespeare "Sonnet 130", 1),” the absence of love and appreciation is evident. In certain assertions, the author insinuates that rather than deal with the subject of reference willingly he is forced to tolerate them. This usually happens in a situation where one could face certain consequences from a figure of authority. It is very unlikely that they have to encounter this in a romantic relationship. Although it is common for people in marriage feeling that way, the romantic regard in question is that of a lover. “I love to hear her speak, yet well I know that music hath a far more pleasing sound (Shakespeare "Sonnet 130", 9-10).” The author does state that much as he does not like her voice, they love to hear her speak. This could be because in spite of the fact that the persona finds his mistress’s voice unappealing, he draws something from her speech. This insinuates that there was some sort of wisdom and inspiration that the author’s subject brings to him. This again illustrates, that rather than being a romantic partner, the subject of reference is an authoritative figure. The subject of reference is also one that values authority over beauty. As established, they are not welcome to the persona. The subject, further on, does not make an effort into making themselves appealing. This is not indicative of a person that has a romantic relationship with anyone. This can be partaken from the line “Coral is far more red than her lips red; if snow be white why then her breasts are dun (Shakespeare "Sonnet 130",2-3).” This illustrates that the subject makes no effort into making themselves appealing. It is therefore an accurate assumption to conclude that they have no counterpart for whom to make themselves beautiful. Alternatively, it could be that they have no desire or regard for the concept of beauty in general. Whatever way one looks at it, the subject, and the persona are not romantically involved. The poem, in general, is much more sensible with the term mistress being used in reference to a figure of authority. Although it is quite possible that Shakespeare was making a mockery of the concept of romance, as he was a very ironic writer, he is more likely to have been talking about a matronly figure. From the majority of the assertions, he was referring to a person that was on a higher platform of authority over him. However, the person in question is one that he had a lot of respect for and learnt from them. The line, “And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare as any she belied with false compare (Shakespeare "Sonnet 130", 13),” is an illustration of a loving for the subject. In summation, the subject of reference, much as the author held them in high regard, does not represent a lover; the statements made beat the logic of romance. Works Cited Shakespeare, W. "poem 174375." Poetry Foundation. 9 February 2015 . Read More