Research Guides: My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun: Critical Articles

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Explanation of: "Sonnet: 130" by William Shakespeare
The sonnets devoted to the “dark lady” run from “Sonnet 127” to “Sonnet 154”; this poem, perhaps the most famous of the sequence, is a no-holds-barred description of one of the most intriguing women in English literature. The question as to who she actually is has intrigued Shakespeare’s critics since the sonnets were first published in 1609. Most probably, “the dark lady”, along with the “fair youth” and the “rival poet,” are characters created for the sonnet sequence, inspired partially by fictional characters and real-life acquaintances. “Sonnet 130” provides no further clues as to her identity, but paints a verbal portrait of the “dark lady” that is as unconventional and frank as the speaker’s proclamation of his love for her.

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