William Shakespeare's "My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun"
Read the poem by clicking on the title.

Aim:  How does the tradition of love fit with the form of the sonnet?

Questions: If you wanted to impress a girl or guy, what lines would you use?

What is unusual about the first line of the poem?  What would the opposite of that line be?
In what ways might you think the poet has insulted his mistress in the first quatrain?
The second quatrain has only two such insults?  How does this put the speaker in the poem in a better or worse position with his mistress?
The last quatrain also has two comparisons.  What are these?  What word appears for the first time in the poem in the opening of the sestet?
The couplet plays as important part of this poem.  What is the purpose of the words "by heaven?"  What is the message of the couplet?
How would you characterize the tone of the poem?  How has the poet exaggerated his mistress' appearance?

Web activity:

What did women look like in Shakespeare's time?  You might want to click on some portraits of women around Shakespeare's time.
Portrait 1
Portrait 2
How are these images different from the Hollywood ones in the recent film Shakespeare in Love?

Creative writing:

Write an unrhymed sonnet describing Shakespeare's life.  You can click on the portrait of Shakespeare on this page to see pictures that recreate scenes from his life.  Try to use details that are realistic but might, at first, seem insulting.  See if you can amplify your insults with a simile or metaphor.  Try to build your sonnet in three quatrains.  In your final couplet,  give your poem a twist.  Say something surprising about the poet.