Contrastingly, “Sonnet 130” is structured around the humorous comparison of the lover with other women and therefore mocking the traditional conventions of love poetry of Shakespeare’s day. In mocking the typical Petrarchan metaphors and elaborate representation of “goddess”-like beauty, Shakespeare conveys how love does not need these conceits in order to be real or true; and women do not need to look like flowers or the sun in order to be beautiful as displayed by the couplet. The rhetorical structure of “Sonnet 130” makes an important contribution to its effect. In the first quatrain, the speaker uses one line to express each comparison of his mistress. However, throughout the second and third quatrain, Shakespeare expands the descriptions to occupy two lines each, allowing each comparison to receive a pair of unrhymed lines. This creates the effect of an expanding and developing argument, and neatly prevents the poem from becoming sluggish, as it is centred around a single joke for the first twelve lines.
Shakespeare uses “Sonnet 18” to pose a question to himself as to how to best immortalise his lover. At first he compares his love “to a summer’s day” yet finds this metaphor imperfect and therefore decides through internal debate and poetic expression that the best way to immortalise his love is through his own poetry. This method eternalises both his love for her and her beauty in written words. Shakespeare chooses a range of beautiful physical and natural images to compare his love to, consequently demonstrating his love for her. He uses natural imagery to heighten his lover’s beauty when he decides that she is “more lovely and more temperate” than “a summer’s day”. He contrasts this image with “rough winds”, demonstrating the extent to which summer is changeable and provides a sharp contrast with “the darling buds of May”. The image of “darling buds” offers connotations of youth, innocence and pure beauty. This portrayal of the variable characteristics of summer emphasises Shakespeare’s belief that his love is more gentle and reliable than a day in summer. Shakespeare personifies the season of summer throughout this sonnet, further comparing the woman’s beauty. He speaks of how “summer’s lease hath all too short a date”, yet his love’s “eternal summer shall not fade”. The use of personification and “summer” as a metaphor for beauty here again reinforces the idea that the woman’s beauty is incomparable. He also personifies summer as “the eye of heaven” with “his gold complexion” which is said to be “dimm’d”. This personification serves as a device to emphasise how beautiful Shakespeare’s love is. Highlighting the flaws that accompany summer, Shakespeare implies that despite summer being a pleasant and appealing time of year, “his” beauty is no where near that of his love. The words “heaven” and “gold” evoke images of splendour and purity and consequently intensify his love’s beauty. “Death” is also personified as a male in this sonnet, and provides a contrast with the youthful imagery offered. Yet it also serves the purpose of preparing the audience for the concluding message conveyed in the couplet; it reminds them of death and the need to reproduce in order to pass on beauty through a generation of children.
Much like “Sonnet 18”, there is comparative language employed that seeks to link love to natural phenomenon in “Sonnet 116”. Shakespeare explores the concept of love itself and its fixed nature throughout this sonnet. He attempts to define love, by telling both what it is and is not. The language of this sonnet is not particularly notable for its imagery or range of metaphorical devices; however, it is remarkable in that it frames its focus on the concept of love within a very reserved and disciplined rhetorical structure. Elements of conceptual, almost spiritual love are displayed in this sonnet, and unlike “Sonnet 18”, it does not serve to be a poem of seduction, but rather a quiet affirmation of true love. The first line of the sonnet demonstrates this idea that love is not just a physical connection;”marriage of true minds” provides the audience with a much deeper and reflective view on love. Shakespeare addresses the hazards of life associated with the loss of love; he speaks of how love “is never shaken”, even through “tempests”. The word “tempest”, implying a storm or up roar in life’s course, stresses how love, in Shakespeare’s opinion, can withstand anything and has the over ruling strength. Shakespeare uses the metaphorical concept of a guiding star to represent love and how it serves to guide “every wandering bark”. This metaphorical device, although not startling in its originality, provides the simple idea that love will navigate you through the sea of life, much like a star guides ships; Shakespeare conveys the importance of love as it guides everyone through their life who has lost their way. He also describes love as “ever-fixed mark”, insinuating that it is very similar to a scar in that it will never fade and cannot be changed. In this sonnet, it appears that “Time” is love’s most powerful adversary, and this is established by the capitalisation of the word making it a living, breathing enemy of love. However powerful “Time” is, Shakespeare maintains that love is still stronger. “Love is not Time’s fool…Within his bending sickle’s compass come”. The reference to the sickle illustrates just how much of a threat Shakespeare views “Time”; as if like Death, “Time” carries his sickle waiting to steal love that is based on loveliness and youth, hence the reference to “rosy lips and cheeks”.
In “Sonnet CXXX”, Shakespeare satirises the tradition of comparing one’s beloved to all things beautiful, divine and immortal, therefore defying all conventions of the petrarchan sonnet. Shakespeare uses language to connect with the audience’s senses. He begins with claming how his “mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun”, implying that they are neither bright nor particularly sunning. He continues to use colour to compare the beauty of his mistress to natural imagery such as “Coral is far more red, than her lips” and her “breasts are dun” compared to white snow. The contrast in language between white snow and “dun” implying dullness, emphasises the meaning of the poem; that his mistress’s beauty is nothing like that of nature’s. Shakespeare’s use of the colour “black” to describe his mistress’s wiry hair evokes connotations of unattractiveness and a lack of femininity. In reference to her hair he says, “black wires grow on her head”, creating a rather unattractive vision of a woman with unsightly, coarse hair sprouting out of her scalp. This image is also comical and brings a sense of humour to the poem. Shakespeare also uses the natural beauty “damasked” roses. He explains that he has seen roses separated by colour into “red and white”, but sees no such colours “in her cheeks”. The image created is romantic and striking in beauty, and because Shakespeare uses this image to portray what his mistress is not, the audience receive a rather negative impression of the woman. Scent is also used to this effect. Shakespeare contrasts the “delight(ful)” smell of “perfume” with the reeking breath of his mistress. The choice of harsh word, “reeks”, conveys the extent to which his mistress’s breath smells terrible and contrasts sharply with the scent of perfume. When comparing the way his mistress walks to a “goddess”, Shakespeare uses the word “treads” to describe the way in which she travels. Again, a definite contrast is created between the mistress, who is said to walk much like a man would, and a goddess, who one would imagine to glide or walk with more grace. It is notable that throughout this sonnet, the Shakespeare’s praise for his so negative that the reader is left with the impression that she is almost unlovable. On the contrary, although the octet makes many negative comparisons, the sestet contrives to make one believe that the sound of her voice is sweeter than any music, and that she far outdistances any goddess in her merely human beauty and her mortal approachability.