Keeping in mind the images and ideas presented to us initially and vaguely in the octet, the sestet puts into words the argument that Shakespeare had silently been developing untill now. Of particular interest in the sestet is the section that compares his mistress with a goddess – “I grant I never saw a goddess go; My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground.” This suggests that his mistress is completely human, and hints at the idea that some of the normal comparisons are unrealistic. The volta, the last two lines of the sestet, clinches the entire poem’s argument. He declares that the love for his mistress is “as rare” as any other woman whose beauty has been exaggerated with “false compare”, and that his love is one in which superficialities are completely meaningless.
There are a variety of language techniques employed by Shakespeare to emphasize his argument. The most obvious of these is his choice of words. For example, the use of ‘roses’ in the contrast between roses and his mistress’ cheeks: “I have seen roses damask’d, red and white, but no such roses see I in her cheeks.” Rose petals are soft, almost silky to the touch, pleasant to look at and have perfect shades of color. Just from the use of this one word, he shows that his mistress’ cheeks are not soft, nor do they own the color of roses – just like all of her other features, they are plain and not worth noting. By using the example of a “goddess” in contrast to his mistress, Shakespeare again heightens the effect of the poem. When we think of a goddess, we think of superhuman perfection and beauty. The way that Shakespeare reluctantly brings this up “I grant I never…” also suggests that like his mistress, there may be more to goddesses than physical beauty. The repetition of certain words such as “My Mistress”, “Roses” and “Red” is another technique used to make the poem and argument more effective. It brings out the monotony in talking about love and makes it seem as though the superficial comparisons themselves are repetitive. The use of heightened language gives a more formal, important tone that perfectly expresses the serious nature of the poem.
Rhythm and rhyme are important to any piece of sonnet poetry. The basic rhyming scheme of ‘My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun’ is a-b-a-b-c-d-c-d-e-f-e-f-g-g. The ongoing rhyming in the format of a-b-a-b contributes to the continuity of the entire poem, making it seem fluent and flowing. The most important contribution of rhyme towards the content of the poem, however, is the textual effect that rhyming has. The volta (g-g) creates the distinction that it is different from the rest of the poem – it is important that the reader knows that the last two lines are unique because they finalize the entire poem’s argument. Also, this sonnet is written completely in perfect iambic pentameter, possibly to show that his mistress is perfect despite her physical imperfections. It also adds a regular atmosphere to the poem, making it sound less lyrical and more imposing.
There are a number of other effects Shakespeare employs in ‘My mistress is nothing like the sun’. The poem is written from a first-person viewpoint. This has two major effects. First, it makes the argument of the poem seem universal, not specific to one person. Secondly, it makes him seem more emotional and sincere – if he were speaking about her in third person, he would not be talking about his own experience and the people and events would seem distant. By the constantly referring to the first person “I…” and “My…” it makes the author seem as though he is hypnotized by love. The long length of sentences compliments the complex ideas that are being expressed and allows one idea to be developed more completely in one sentence. The use of punctuation is also something of note. Only two full stops are used – once to separate the octet and the sestet and again at the end of the poem. The colon just prior to the volta shows it’s relation to the rest of the poem, and its indentation highlights its importance. The use of semicolons at the end of the lines instead of full stops adds to the flow. A last interesting point is that in this sonnet (unlike many others), Shakespeare does not speak to his mistress directly – instead, it is almost as if he were talking to himself or to friends.
“My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun” is an excellent example of the use of poetic structure, language and format to develop meaning within a poem. Shakespeare managed to develop both of these sides of poetry and build meaningful arguments around the topic of love.