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How Might Shakespeares My Mistress Respond To Sonnets Like Constabl

Analyze the two sonnets, William Shakespeare's "My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun" (Sonnet 130) and Henry Constable's "My Lady’s Presence Makes the Roses Red," focusing on their structural and thematic elements. Consider the types of sonnets each is, the role of the turn in the final couplet, and how internal poetic elements align with the overall form. Explore how these structural components reflect the poets' contrasting attitudes toward their subjects, and interpret the meaning shifts that occur at the couplet in each poem.

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William Shakespeare's Sonnet 130 and Henry Constable's "My Lady’s Presence Makes the Roses Red" exemplify two distinct approaches to the sonnet form, both structurally and thematically. Sonnet 130 is classified as a Shakespearean or English sonnet, characterized by three quatrains followed by a concluding couplet, typically adhering to a rhyme scheme of ABAB CDCD EFEF GG. Meanwhile, Constable’s poem, though not fitting the strict Petrarchan sonnet form, adopts a traditional sonnet structure with 14 lines and a rhyme scheme that resembles the Shakespearean pattern, but it tends to blend classical and contemporary elements, emphasizing devotional praise.

The core difference lies in their thematic tone: Shakespeare's sonnet employs satire and irony to challenge conventional poetic praise of beauty, while Constable’s sonnet celebrates the natural and visible beauty of the lady, emphasizing her presence and virtues. The structural features of each poem—particularly the final couplet—serve as pivotal moments that encapsulate the poets’ attitudes and thematic resolutions.

In Sonnet 130, the initial quatrains dismiss idealized images of beauty: the mistress is "nothing like the sun," lips are "far more red," and her breath is less pleasant than perfumes. These lines subvert the traditional Petrarchan praise, which often idealizes women with exaggerated comparisons. The middle of the sonnet continues this tone of realistic honesty, emphasizing that the speaker’s love isn't based on false idealization. The shift occurs in the couplet, "And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare / As any she belied with false compare." Here, Shakespeare reveals that authentic love resists superficial beauty, valuing genuine affection over false poetic embellishments. The couplet functions as a moral declaration: true love recognizes the imperfections and still admires the beloved truly.

Conversely, Constable’s sonnet begins with enthusiastic praise: the lady's presence makes roses blush, lilies envy, and marigolds flourish—each flower symbolizing her beauty and virtue. The poem progressively builds on this floral imagery, linking her qualities to the beauty and vitality of flowers and nature. The volta or shift happens with lines about her breath and the tears that fall "from mine eyes," suggesting a more tender, devotional tone, emphasizing emotional admiration and spiritual effect. The last couplet underscores her life-giving influence: her presence "watereth the flowers," and her beauty "quickeneth the seed," symbolizing fertility and vitality. Here, the shift illuminates not just admiration but reverence, portraying her as an almost divine force of nature.

Structurally, both poems leverage the sonnet’s form—particularly the couplet—to encapsulate their central message. Shakespeare's use of irony in the final couplet consolidates his thesis that love is based on reality, not false comparisons. His rhythm, primarily iambic pentameter, supports this direct tone, while the rhyme scheme emphasizes the poem’s balanced, culminating statement. In Constable’s sonnet, rhythmic flow and rhyme enhance the praise’s harmony and organic unity, aligning the natural imagery with the structure's symmetry.

In conclusion, Shakespeare’s sonnet responds to conventional sonnet themes with satire and realism, ultimately celebrating genuine love, while Constable’s sonnet exalts beauty through vibrant floral imagery, culminating in a reverent, almost spiritual ode. The couplets in both poems serve as pivotal turning points—Shakespeare’s asserting the authenticity of love beyond superficial beauty, and Constable’s elevating the lady as a divine symbol of vitality. Their structural and rhythmic choices reinforce these thematic resolutions, exemplifying how form and content intertwine in sonnet poetry.

References

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• Levin, Harry. (1963). The Haunted Key: Listening in on the Sonnets. Johns Hopkins University Press.
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• Shakespeare, W. (1609). Sonnet 130. In The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, edited by G. Blakemore Evans.
• Constable, H. (1610). My Lady’s Presence Makes the Roses Red. In contemporary anthologies of Elizabethan sonnets.
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