Skip to main content

Primary sourceBook1609

Sonnet 130

William Shakespeare · 1609

Shakespeare's sonnet 'My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun,' a playful mockery of exaggerated love poetry conventions.

Written by Shakespeare, this sonnet shows his playful subversion of conventional love poetry.

Ask William Shakespeare about this sourceView the original(opens in new tab)
Scanned page from the 1609 Quarto showing Sonnet 130, numbered 130 at top, in black-letter-style early modern type. Lines begin with 'My Mistres eyes are nothing like the Sunne' and end with 'As any she belied with false compare.'
William Shakespeare, Sonnet 130, from the 1609 Quarto of Shakespeare's Sonnets.

About this source

What it is

Sonnet 130 is one of William Shakespeare's 154 sonnets, published together in 1609. It describes the poet's mistress using deliberately unflattering comparisons.

Why it matters

The sonnet pokes fun at the clichéd style used by many Elizabethan poets, who compared lovers to suns, roses and goddesses. By doing the opposite, Shakespeare shows his wit and his willingness to challenge popular poetic fashion, revealing both his skill with form and his sense of humour.

Look closer

  • Why might Shakespeare have chosen to insult his subject instead of praising her in the usual way?
  • What poetic conventions is he making fun of?
  • How does the final couplet change the tone of the poem?

This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of William Shakespeare on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

More William Shakespeare sources

Meet the AI William Shakespeare →
Title page of the First Folio of Shakespeare's plays. Large text reads 'Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies' and 'Published according to the True Originall Copies.' Below is an engraved portrait of a balding man with a moustache and a large white collar. At the bottom: 'London, Printed by Isaac Jaggard, and Ed. Blount. 1623.'Book

Primary source

First Folio

William Shakespeare · 1623

Pencil or ink profile drawing on tan paper, facing left, of a man with a bald crown, long wavy hair at the back and sides, a beard, and a plain collared garment. Thin border lines frame the sheet.Painting

Secondary source

Profile Drawing of William Shakespeare

Johann Kaspar Lavater · c. 1793

Black-and-white engraved portrait of a bald-headed man with a pointed beard and moustache, wearing a large lace collar and dark buttoned doublet, set in a rectangular frame. Below is a handwritten signature reading William Shakespeare. Engraver credit at lower right reads H. Robinson sculp.Painting

Secondary source

William Shakespeare engraving by John Henry Robinson

John Henry Robinson · 30 November 1827

Ten Lectures on ShakespeareDocument

Primary source

Ten Lectures on Shakespeare

Literary School · 1889

Book

Primary source

Macbeth

William Shakespeare · c. 1606

Ready when you are

Start chatting with William Shakespeare now.

20 messages free · No credit card · Available in 50+ languages.

Trial Humy for freeGet a quote for institutions