SONNET 130
This sonnet is the 130th out of 154 sonnets Shakespeare wrote during his lifetime. It was published in 1609 and still remains one of the more well known sonnets that he wrote. This sonnet is part of a group of poems that scholars think was addressed to someone they call "The Dark Lady." The dark lady, who ultimately betrays the poet, appears in sonnets 127 to 154.
Shakespeare uses Sonnet 130 as a parody to the typical Petrarchan Sonnet which emphasizes love and beautiful women. By comparing his mistress to undesirable things, Shakespeare is doing the opposite of what authors like Petrarch do in their sonnets. Shakespeare ends the sonnet by proclaiming his love for his mistress despite her lack of beauty, embracing the theme of love and beauty in Petrarch's sonnets.
Shakespeare uses Sonnet 130 as a parody to the typical Petrarchan Sonnet which emphasizes love and beautiful women. By comparing his mistress to undesirable things, Shakespeare is doing the opposite of what authors like Petrarch do in their sonnets. Shakespeare ends the sonnet by proclaiming his love for his mistress despite her lack of beauty, embracing the theme of love and beauty in Petrarch's sonnets.