How Does Shakespeare Portray Women

Sonnet 130 is one of the most unconventional poems of Shakespeare’s 154 sonnets. Shakespeare wrote Sonnet 130 to be a mockery of the traditional love poem. Most love poems portray women as the incarnation of perfection. Other poets of the time tended to falsely compare women to angels or things of beauty found in nature as a way to express they had no flaws. Shakespeare demonstrates that it is irrational to idolize someone for her physical appearance and that there is no such thing as a perfect woman. Physical perfection is boring to Shakespeare, what he desired was the connection with another person. Shakespeare is a man looking for meaningful companionship and he just wants someone that understands him. Sonnet 130 was a way for Shakespeare

He seems to have a disdainful outlook of the woman's beauty. In the first quatrain of the sonnet, Shakespeare’s mistress’ eyes are not like the sun, her lips are not red, her breasts are not snow white, and her hairs are black wires. In the second and third quatrains we learn that her cheeks aren’t like roses, her breath doesn’t smell like perfume, her voice doesn’t sound like music, and she doesn’t float like a goddess when she walks. If the mistress were to read this sonnet, she would more than likely be offended because he is saying that she is washed up. However, in the volta, Shakespeare says that his love does not have what every other woman has and, even though she is less attractive, his love is rare and just as important. Critics have debated what exactly Shakespeare was trying to do in this sonnet. One such critic, Felicia Jean Steele, states, “Shakespeare had disregarded every Petrarchan thought about beauty.” (Steele 133) He refuses to praise his woman for physical attractiveness. He does not find her physically attractive, but that does not mean that he has lesser feelings for her. Instead of lying to her, he is honest with her, and it could be more appreciated from his mistress’