Question

Read the lines from Shakespeare’s "Sonnet 130."

My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun;
Coral is far more red than her lips' red;
If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun;
If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.

Now read the lines from Shakespeare’s "Sonnet 18."

Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer’s lease hath all too short a date;

Which statement best describes how Shakespeare conveys the idea of beauty in each sonnet?

A) In both sonnets, the speaker uses comparisons to explain how his love’s beauty is lacking.
B) In both sonnets, the speaker uses specific details to explain why his love is a perfect beauty.
C) In the first sonnet, the speaker explains why his love’s beauty is eternal, while in the second the speaker explains why it is fleeting.
D) In the first sonnet, the speaker explains why his love is not a beauty, while in the second the speaker describes his love’s beauty.

(B is incorrect)

Answer 1

The correct answer should be D) In the first sonnet, the speaker explains why his love is not a beauty, while in the second the speaker describes his love’s beauty.
As you can see in the first sonnet, Shakespeare is saying that his love isn't really that beautiful - she is nothing like the sun, she is dark (when pale skin was admired), her hair resembles wires; on the other hand, in the second sonnet, he is praising his loved one's beauty, saying how she is more lovely than a summer's day. However, what is common for both sonnets is the love that the poet feels for the woman.