Shakespeare's Sonnet 130 (Analysis and Explanation)

This lesson provides a detailed explanation of one of Shakespeare's most famous sonnets.
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[@magicalkiwibird]

Youre a better and more interesting than any of my high school English teachers. Shakespear has never been that interesting to me, but you broke this down and allowed me to see the background and intent behind the writing. There's a whole story hidden in this sober that I never would have ever thought of. I appreciate you for making this video =D

[@thenatureofwriting9222]

Thank you for the kind reply. Glad you found it interesting.

[@meriemidbelkacem9638]

Same here; different perspective of analyzing this poem especially when you showcases the possibility of misogyny. I thought that it was just a kind of response to his contemporary poet who tends to idolize the beloved.

[@tasneemazab8870]

This is the first year for me to study poetry and I think that you are very skilful, and your analysis is perfect as it helped me a lot in my assignment. Thank you!

[@thenatureofwriting9222]

You're welcome! Such kind feedback encourages me to make more literature videos. :)

[@ek_joota]

Another observation that I made is that 'compare' in the last line refers not only to comparisons. But it might also refer to 'compeer', a way that Shakespeare addresses his contemporaries? And kinda claims that they have misrepresented women in their poems? 'Compare'- 'Compeer' being used as a pun, maybe. Just a wild interpretation. Thank you so much for this video! You've made a fantastic analysis!

[@monosefatsa7887]

This is wonderful! I enjoyed your analysis.

[@thenatureofwriting9222]

Thanks! Glad you found it useful.

[@Eva_Zark]

As a student [English Literature at a Greek University] I had to be examined on sonnet 130. I believed then that it was a case of true love [without blindfolds]....Well it was years and years ago...and... nowadays I find your explanation more realistic.

[@thenatureofwriting9222]

Thanks for sharing. It's interesting how our perspectives can change. Maybe we become a little more jaded with age too. :)

[@PhysicsGaunt]

When I first heard this Sonnet (in this video) I thought he simply expressed that he believed the girls in the blazons to just be normal girls and not any rarer to the poets than his mistress is to him, that he doesn't have to lie to them to and others or hype her up to others to justify his love to her, his love is unconditional to her appearance. But your analysis really is superb and I am truly sad that we never did ANYTHING on Shakespeare in Germany in school.

[@MuayThaiGuide]

Bei uns im Abi ziehen wir shakespeare voll durch

[@donaldkimllavore4896]

Great explanation 👏

[@Unicorn-sx5pz]

Omg im watching this video now like I'm doing major in Eng Lit and i didn't understand my teacher's point of view but yours was something diff nd it made it easier to understand. Thank you so much 😊

[@MegaName13]

Thanks alot! That made it way easier to study for my Literature Exam :)

[@irm63]

Thank you. Ich liebe dieses Sonett.

[@violetlee4994]

It is a wonderful project, thank you very much for the kind thought of making this marvellous idea into reality to help us in learning English. I am currently studying Shakespare Sonnet 17 and 18 and the comparison but I cant find it here. May I know if you have it anywhere in your website/video list please?

[@thenatureofwriting9222]

Thanks, Violet. So far I've covered sonnets 55, 115, 116, and 130. I'll think about doing Sonnet 18 at some point!

[@aquafinner1505]

This is so interesting! In the beginning I interpreted this as the poet confiding in himself, many people think he was ashamed to be in love with this dark lady, so wouldn't it make sense that he talk himself out of loving her? Creating a list of her supposed physical flaws but in the end he realizes he loves her as much as other poets love the protagonist of their blazons. Now my entire perspective's changed though lol, yours makes much more sense

[@thenatureofwriting9222]

Thanks for sharing, and I'm glad to hear you found the explanation helpful!

[@GoUpstairs]

this is incredible . thank you very much!

[@chandrakantpatil8835]

Nice analysis of the poem.

[@thenatureofwriting9222]

Thanks!

[@alexmardi4918]

Thank you sir, you are so unique in teaching..loved it learning.

[@thenatureofwriting9222]

Thanks, Alex!

[@pemarathanathero7386]

Thank you so much for your clear and critical explanation.

[@thenatureofwriting9222]

You're welcome!

[@fatima8223]

you are A LIFE SAVER!!!

[@gpllago]

It's fantastic to learn that 500yrs ago Shakespeare already criticised the idealisation and objectification of the feminine.

[@thenatureofwriting9222]

True. Still, he mostly criticized the hyperbole of other poets, so I don't think he was giving up on objectifying them himself.

[@rahatkhanmurad]

Wow that's an awesome explanations. Thanks a lot

[@randomelody]

It was a great help. Thank you so much for sharing.

[@clankclank79]

I loved your explanation

[@devinsparkman6688]

I remember when I was in high school after gym there was a group of guys talking about their girlfriends in the locker room. We all laughed and joked about them being akin to witches. But one nutcase had to take it even farther- by being the main passage. His girlfriend had to be the most beautiful, the most smart, and the most boastful. He made the conversation shallow and boring. Does he have complete control over a stuimulating conversation? No. This is why it's important to recite poetry- so you have enough time to have fun with it later on.

[@godofziontv3872]

Awesome❤

[@GamingWithMINER]

so what is the theme?

[@TheJonaaa]

Great analysis, thank you !

[@thenatureofwriting9222]

Thanks, Jonathan!

[@prashantjoshi9014]

Beautifully dissected ! ‘Anti_blazon” explained so well.

[@thenatureofwriting9222]

Thanks!

[@theperfectkeraleeyanvlogs]

Tq sir... Well explained it 🥰 love from India ❤

[@thenatureofwriting9222]

Most welcome!

[@elouardisamia233]

Thank you so much sir!

[@zainabamani1169]

You are so interesting man .. thank u for the video

[@mawdudjabar6763]

amazing

[@danianajada6272]

explain the unusual presentation of the woman that he loves?

[@Sam-wl1qe]

can anyone help me with the explanation of sonnet 131

[@maimunadp]

ahhh this was so good !! thanks you really helped me :)

[@thenatureofwriting9222]

Fantastic!

[@Ali-jo9kv]

I love you laugh,no joke

[@thenatureofwriting9222]

:)

[@howardkhowara3275]

Tysm i thought i was gunna fail

[@SashaBrausAoT]

Woahhhhh who are you, you're amazing

[@avagiri4389]

Oooohhh great 👍👍

[@allenlyle8056]

Great video!

[@thenatureofwriting9222]

Thanks!

[@kevindharmani6495]

That's like eminem saying "i am just kidding ladies, you know I love you "

[@thenatureofwriting9222]

Thanks for the laugh!

[@hemalatabhat9497]

Thank you

[@thenatureofwriting9222]

You're welcome!

[@albertinashabangu3948]

❤

[@arshaparvathy9960]

Awesome

[@thenatureofwriting9222]

Thanks!

[@edwinfrancisco8116]

Now how am I supposed to write a 4 page essay about this tiny little sonnet. : /

[@thenatureofwriting9222]

Fascinating point. A lyrical poem is both a public document (I like the phrase "public park!) and an intensely personal expression.

[@АлёнаГармаш-к3б]

Sparkling...russian women are on(by,at - we don't know exactly) Shakespeare's side

[@АлёнаГармаш-к3б]

Have you got the main letter of the Sonet 65, please?

[@wbwarren57]

I think this video was made by a younger man. An older person would have the perspective to know that true love is love that can outlast aging and the corruption of the body.

[@thenatureofwriting9222]

Interesting observation. You're absolutely right that love can outlast the aging body. I don't disagree with that.

[@wbwarren57]

@@thenatureofwriting9222 Perhaps, but you are the guy who made the video and it was a good one. Thought-provoking.

[@cmilemile]

For me it's kinda sexual. He describes body and bodily fluids and smells... I felt it like a kinky passion. Not an insult at all... And at the end that's love. When you crave for someone's smells and imperfections... And also this sarcastic and funny approach, it's kinda flirting with a sexual intent.

[@nozecone]

Interesting discussion - although the digression into 'misogyny' just strikes me as ... silly. Even if we play along with the idea that the content concerns a real, rather than imaginary, woman - does anyone believe that? - the speaker declares his admiration of her despite her failure to come near any of the conventional standards of feminine beauty - saying, in essence, that none of those external criteria mean anything; it's the 'inner beauty' that matters. That's a strange kind of misogyny.

[@thenatureofwriting9222]

Good feedback. The misogyny can be understood in different ways. For one thing, there is a kind of pleasure in all the insults leveled at the woman. He's not being entirely honest in his physical descriptions. He goes overboard and thoroughly enjoys downplaying her physical attributes. Secondly, the poet uses the woman primarily to make fun of the genre of the blazon. The woman is secondary. Thirdly, he doesn't address her directly but is talking to other men instead. There are other reasons as well, but I hope that helps. This is not to say that the poem is for sure misogynistic, but rather that it's an angle we shouldn't ignore.

[@nozecone]

@@thenatureofwriting9222 Okay, I take your point(s) ... and I'll take back the "silly" ... ! However, a few points in response .... Firstly, the poem requires the speaker to be unflinchingly blunt in his assessment of his 'mistress''s physical attributes; where you see "a kind of pleasure in all the insults leveled at the woman", I see a kind of pleasure in the shock he's giving the reader by so thoroughly defying their expectations of a 'love poem', and by so brazenly subverting the blazon. There is nothing in the description itself that strikes me as “not entirely honest”, or “overboard”, as applied to a woman who is “unattractive” according to the conventional criteria of the time (although I might give you the verb “reeks”, assuming it was as powerful a word in S.’s day as now). And while he is undoubtedly objectifying her here, you have to remember where all this is going: he is setting us up for a knock-out punch which leaves objectification itself on the canvas. While it may be fair to say that “the poet uses the woman primarily to make fun of the genre of the blazon”, what makes this sonnet outstanding is that in the concluding couplet, S. conveys - or creates the illusion of - real passion for this (imagined?) woman. YMMV, of course, but whenever I reach the end of this sonnet, I feel that this guy really thought his ‘mistress’ was something pretty special. I wonder if he isn’t using his own satire of the blazon primarily to make a real love poem? Well, I could go on … and on …! Stay warm, now.

[@christinemonsees6262]

Seems that his “sweetheart” has dark skin, brownish lips and dark eyes. The reference to black wires as hair may be her course hair which a woman of color would have as a golden thread depicts a Caucasian woman who is aristocratic. Shakespeare adores his mistress who is not the woman that is usually seen as beautiful during this era. For every aspect that he counteracts is the opposite of the privileged woman that is light skinned.

[@MrFoolingyu]

Misogyny is a bit over the top methinks.

[@FXzamii]

5:00 Starts the analysis

[@Dinkelberg_]

Who dislikes this?

[@tinaliu9792]

uhhh yeah no

[@hibamaryam4415]

One hell of an insight! Thank you so much

[@Claudias_rose]

I wonder how can I rewrite all this analysis to make my teacher think I figured all of this on my own for this summary I have to do? haha. Thanks for the clarification.

[@thenatureofwriting9222]

If you want to cite the video as a source, feel free to check out our citation guide: natureofwriting.com/citation/. :)

[@greenygreen29]

amazing video , thank you . :) pls keep making videos like that .

[@tharmaadaik359]

BITE ME ALIEN BOIII!!!

[@the-aphelion-archives]

Boi. Will. I don't need you to tell me whether I'm beautiful or not. I'm A STRONG INDEPENDENT WOMAN

[@Gu7ller]

Great video, nice done :)

[@thenatureofwriting9222]

Thanks!

[@lexywitkowski5531]

this was EXTREMELY helpful! thank you!!

[@Ele_ne55]

Great analysis, thank you!

[@priyankaraninegi3837]

Thank you sir.your explanation is so good and comprehensible as you put the meanings clearly.It's so useful to me.🙏

[@thenatureofwriting9222]

You're most welcome!

[@Ant-qm6tv]

I really enjoyed this. Have you read the Diella Sonnets? Numbers 3, 22 and 31. This sonnet is a response to these.

[@thenatureofwriting9222]

I'm assuming you mean Samuel Daniel's Sonnets to Delia, which are definitely interesting and relevant!

[@jacquelinemaisela1490]

Thank you, this has been really helpful... Mostly when it comes to the analysis and the explanation of whats really happening is this sonnet(more detailed than what they explained in class)

[@thenatureofwriting9222]

Glad it was helpful!

[@eddiecooke9459]

This was a great help thanks

[@thenatureofwriting9222]

No problem!

[@tawosibkhan9707]

Make a video about the poem A good morrow

[@thenatureofwriting9222]

Thanks for the suggestion! So many poems, so little time. :)

[@e_rumrazamalik6535]

Thank you

[@thenatureofwriting9222]

You're welcome!

[@sabelomgidi7318]

WILL YOU START WITH THE ANALYSIS !!

[@isabelgranados296]

Context is part of the analysis, my friend