In "Sonnet 130," Shakespeare evokes the feeling of love through the speaker's candid and honest portrayal of his mistress. Rather than idealizing her beauty with conventional comparisons, he employs a realistic approach that emphasizes her flaws and ordinary traits. This is reflected in the following responses:
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He reveals the speaker's true loving feelings in the beginning quatrain.
While Shakespeare does this throughout the sonnet, the beginning does set the tone for an unconventional expression of love that is grounded in reality rather than hyperbole. -
He uses a couplet at the end to state the speaker's feelings.
The final couplet distills the essence of the speaker's love, affirming that his feelings are genuine and steadfast despite his mistress not fitting the traditional mold of beauty. -
He describes the pleasant qualities of the woman the speaker loves.
Although he contrasts her with hyperbolic beauties, the speaker’s affection lies in his acceptance of her true, unembellished self, which shows that love can be based on authenticity rather than idealized traits. -
He focuses only on the speaker's sense of sight in his use of sensory language.
While sight is a significant element in the descriptions, sensory language stretches beyond just sight. Shakespeare highlights various sensory perceptions, such as smell and touch, to deepen the reader's understanding of the speaker’s love.
Ultimately, Shakespeare crafts a nuanced expression of love—one that recognizes beauty in authenticity and loyalty despite the absence of conventional physical attributes.