Sonnet 130 Flashcards
What is the structure of a Shakespearean sonnet?
Comprised of three quatrains and a concluding couplet, rhyming abab cdcd efef gg
Who is a key figure of the English Renaissance known for 39 plays?
William Shakespeare
What was William Shakespeare’s acting company renamed under royal patronage?
The King’s Men
What is often speculated about the subject of Sonnet 130, referred to as ‘the Dark Lady’?
Whether she is purely fictional or has a historical parallel
Who remarked that Shakespeare ‘gently mocks the thoughtless mechanical application’ of traditional sonnet imagery?
Booth
At what age did Shakespeare marry Anne Hathaway?
Eighteen
What did Shakespeare bequeath to Anne Hathaway in his will?
His second best bed, with the furniture
What is the first line of Sonnet 130?
My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun
What literary device is used in the phrase ‘solar simile’?
Metaphor
What does the striking colour imagery in Sonnet 130 allude to?
Elizabethan privateers exploring distant lands
What concept connects character with appearance in the context of Sonnet 130?
Physiognomy
What does synecdoche reveal in Sonnet 130?
Details better left unknown to public knowledge
What does the conjunction in Sonnet 130 suggest?
A shade of doubt about beauty
Fill in the blank: Shakespeare criticizes poets for using prosaic symbols of love like a _______.
Rose
What historical allusion is made in Sonnet 130?
The Wars of the Roses
What does comparative imagery in Sonnet 130 challenge?
The idea that a woman’s only role is to please men
What does the indefinite article in Sonnet 130 refer to?
Certain overpowering fragrances
What does the speaker acknowledge about his lover in Sonnet 130?
Her human nature and mortality
What does the impersonalizing effect of the indefinite article suggest?
Uniformity among women praised by poets
What verb form does Shakespeare use in ‘hearing her speak’?
Infinitive
What does the possessive adjective in Sonnet 130 convey?
Fidelity to his own emotions
What does unambiguous diction in Sonnet 130 make clear?
The speaker’s grievance about societal views on beauty
What does the indefinite pronoun in Sonnet 130 assert about beauty?
Beauty is not hierarchical in nature
What form of poetry does Sonnet 130 operate within?
Structural tradition of the English sonnet
What metre is used in Sonnet 130?
Iambic pentameter
What effect does the juxtaposition of ungainly half rhyme and full rhyme create in Sonnet 130?
Conveys that all individuals have a combination of positive and negative traits
