Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Tone of "My mistress' eyes"

Question 8: Discuss the tone of the poem. How is it achieved?

In the beginning of William Shakespeare's "My mistress' eyes," the speaker states that his "mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun; Coral is far more red than her lips red..."(lines 1-2). These beginning statements strike the reader as having a negative tone. The speaker bashes his mistress and compares her to other things that he finds more pleasant, such as in line 10 when he states that "music hath a far more pleasing sound" than her voice when she speaks. No one would ever want to hear their significant other saying these negative things about them. To conclude the poem, however, the speaker takes on a more loving tone towards the mistress. "I think my love as rare as any," (line 13) shows how much he really does love her. Ultimately the speaker is suggesting that love involves far greater than just appearances. You have to have a foundation that is not superficial.

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