My Mistress' Eyes

What point is the speaker making in the closing couplet?

"And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare

As any she belied with false compare."

• He says that there is no one like his lover

  She might not be physically appealing, however she is perfect in terms of her mind

• He says she is rare. There are few women like her

Name two things to which the speaker compares is mistress

How does the metaphor of music in stanza 3 impact on your understanding of the poem?

• Whereas most sonnets use elevated language about love and to idealise woman, Shakespeare writes that although music is easier to listen to . He does sincerely “love” to hear his mistress speak

• Shakespeare writes that this woman is not perfect and he would rather listen to something more melodic than her babble

Explain what the speaker means when saying his mistress “treads on the ground”?

• The object of affection for the speaker is not elevated goddess or angel who floats or glides above the ground; she is a more grounded and physical person who walks with him on earth and has her feet on the ground.

• This woman is not a graceful person. She is unlike most women, he does not appreciate her walking this way

The speaker’s love is sincere. True or False?

• True

  The love expressed in this sonnet is very sincere and not false. Although the speaker seems to unflattering and critical, he maintains that his love is “rare” as he is able to interact with and share his life with his mistress.

• False

  The love expressed in this sonnet is very sincere and not false. Although the speaker seems to unflattering and critical, he maintains that his love is “rare” as he is able to interact with and share his life with his mistress.

"My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun" the speaker using this literary device comparing what they are not.

• Simile

• Metaphor

• Hyperbole

• Personification

Who is the speaker in this poem?

• a man who talks about his mistress and mocks conventional poems

• a man who views his lover in a true light

Which of the following are some of the themes of Sonnet 130?

• Love

• Appearances

• Women and Femininity

What is the main theme of the poem 'My Mistress' Eyes'?

• A) The beauty of nature

• B) The reality of love

• C) The power of music

• D) The passage of time

Which literary device is predominantly used in the line 'My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun'?

• A) Simile

• B) Metaphor

• C) Hyperbole

• D) Personification