Sonnet 130 by William Shakespeare Vocabulary

Vocabulary practice flashcards based on the text of William Shakespeare's Sonnet 130.

Sonnet 130

A poem by William Shakespeare that satirizes traditional Petrarchan sonnets by providing a realistic, rather than idealized, description of his mistress.

William Shakespeare

The author of Sonnet 130, known for his work in English literature and his collection of 154 sonnets.

Dun

A dull grayish-brown color used in the poem to describe the color of the mistress's breasts in contrast to white snow.

Black wires

The metaphor used by the speaker to describe the hair growing on his mistress's head, subverting the poetic tradition of comparing hair to gold threads.

Damasked

A pattern of variegated colors, specifically referring to roses that are a mix of red and white.

Reeks

To emanate or be exhaled; in the poem, it refers to the smell of the mistress's breath in comparison to the delight of perfumes.

Goddess

A supernatural female deity whose walk is contrasted with the mistress's habit of treading on the ground.

Rare

Unique, precious, or exceptional; the term the speaker uses to describe his love in the poem's concluding couplet.

Belied

Misrepresented or falsely portrayed; to have shown something to be false.

False compare

The use of unrealistic and hyperbolic metaphors in poetry which the speaker claims his mistress is misrepresented by.