Oh Shakespeare, how I love thee so.
No seriously, I love Shakespeare. And especially this poem in particular, it's a great example of how to love unconditionally no matter the appearance of a person. This is just a beautifully written sonnet that captures just how amazing a bond between two people should be. For the first little while it seems like Shakespeare is just ripping into this woman, pointing out her every flaw and being so critical towards her appearance. Even the title itself, apparently her eyes are "Nothing Like the Sun"... Seriously, they're not, that's basically what he's saying. And he goes on to say that her lips are pale, her hair is wiry, her cheeks aren't rosy, and her breath not only stinks, but it reeks. That's pretty bad. "My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground:" When his mistress walks, she's no goddess, she still walks on the ground like a normal person. But then we see a sudden shift in the last two lines, and here's where it really gets good: "And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare/ As any she belied with false compare." Hey, she's not perfect but she's my mistress and I love her. Just beautiful, don't you think?
This poem actually reminded me of a song, and I couldn't get it out of my head the whole time after I read this piece. Have you ever heard "Anyone else but you" by the Moldy Peaches? It's basically the theme song from the movie Juno, and one particular line stood out to me. "Here is the church and here is the steeple, We sure are cute for two ugly people." Is that not spot on? Two ugly people can be cute, I definitely agree with this. And I think that Shakespeare thought that hey, maybe my mistress is ugly, but I am too so we can just be cute together.
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