‘My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun’ is a poem in which Shakespeare forms an argument against conventions to flatter one’s lover with praise of her beauty as well as make comments about the way that love between two people can be expressed and interpreted. He uses the example of a woman who is not physically perfect to emphasise that love is deeper and more important than these superficial comparisons. While his mistress may not have had silky hair and sweet breath, he is still completely captivated by her and considers his love to be as rare as any other.

The structure of the sonnet is in the fo

Rhyme and rhythm is 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. Having a poem rhyme makes it seem structured and developed. The most important contribution of rhyme towards the content of the poem, however, is the textual effect that rhyming has. The fact that the heroic couplet has a different rhyme scheme – a-a, 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. As in most Sonnets, emphasis is placed on every second syllable in the poem and there are normally five sets of these per line – this is known as ‘iambic pentameters’. For example, in the line ‘That music hath a far more pleasing sound’, there are a total of ten syllables and the stronger note is always placed on every second syllable. This adds a regular atmosphere to the poem, making it sound less lyrical-like and more imposing. It adds a flavour of grandeur to the poem and makes it seem less lighthearted than other poetry types.

‘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.

There are a variety of language techniques employed by Shakespeare to emphasise his argument. The most obvious of these is the interesting choice of words. For example, the use of ‘roses’ in the comparison between roses and his mistress’ cheeks. Rose petals are soft, almost silky to the touch, pleasant to look at and have perfect shades of colour. Shakespeare uses the word to conjure up several different images

Some topics in this essay:
Rhyme Rhythm, Shakespeare’s Sonnets, English Sonnet, ‘my mistress’, heroic couplet, mistress’ eyes sun’, ‘my mistress’ eyes, mistress’ eyes, eyes sun’, towards developing meaning, entire poem’s argument, rest poem, content poem, heightened language, ‘i grant, towards developing, rhyme rhythm,