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"My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun (Sonnet 130)"

William Shakespeare, 1564 - 1616

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.

I have seen roses damasked, red and white,
But no such roses see I in her cheeks;
And in some perfumes is there more delight
Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.

I love to hear her speak, yet well I know
That music hath a far more pleasing sound;
I grant I never saw a goddess go;
My mistress when she walks treads on the ground.

And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare
As any she belied with false compare.

Which statement BEST describes how the structure of the poem affects the meaning?
A) The poem is a sonnet that contains an octave and a sestet that reveals a twist at the end.
B) The poem is a sonnet that contains three quatrains and a couplet that reveals a twist at the end.
C) The poem is a limerick that contains equal numbers of lines per stanza to develop a humorous idea.
D) The poem is a haiku, with the correct number of syllables in each line to reveal a happy ending to the poem.

2 Answers

4 votes

B is definitely your answer.

User Oliver Dixon
by
6.1k points
4 votes

B) The poem is a sonnet that contains three quatrains and a couplet that reveals a twist at the end.

The first twelve lines are three quatrains with four lines each. The final two lines are called the couplet.

User Kev Wats
by
4.8k points