In this article, you can read the analysis of Shakespeare’s 130 sonnet, find out the history of the origin of this poem, and who this sonnet was most likely dedicated to. In addition, the article presents the original work in English and several translation options.
Original and Russian versions
Without reading the poem itself, it is impossible to analyze it. William Shakespeare "Sonnet 130" - Original in English:
M 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;
Tf 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.
Literally, the poem can be translated as follows:
"The eyes of my mistress are not like the sun,
Coral is much redder than the redness of her lips,
The snow is white, and her chest is for some reason grayish-brown,
Her hair is like wire, black wire growing out of her head,
I saw red and white damask roses
But the shades of these roses are not on her cheeks,
And many aromas are much nicer
Than the smell emanating from the breath of my mistress.
I love listening to her conversations, but I know -
This is not like the sound of music.
I've never seen goddesses walk
My lover, in any case, walks the earth.
But, see heaven, my beloved is more exceptional
Those seduced by false comparisons. "
This is how Samuel Marshak translated 130 sonnets:
Her eyes don't look like stars
You can’t call a mouth a coral,
No snow-white shoulders open skin,
And a black wire curls a strand.
With a damask rose, scarlet or white,
You can not compare the shade of these cheeks.
And the body smells like the body smells
Not like violets a delicate petal.
You will not find perfect lines in it,
A special light on the brow.
I don’t know how the goddesses walk
But sweetheart steps on the ground.
And all the same, she will hardly give in to those
Whom in the lush comparisons lied.
And here is the translation of Modest Tchaikovsky:
Her eyes are not like the sun
Coral is redder than her mouth
Snow with cute breasts is not the same thing
From black wires her braid.
There are many crimson, white, red roses,
But I do not see them in its features, -
Although there are many beautiful incenses,
Alas, but not on her lips.
Her grunts delight me
But the music does not sound like that at all.
I don’t know how the goddesses perform
But my lady is not an easy step.
And yet, I swear she's nicer
Than the best of mortals near her.
Analysis of 130 Shakespeare Sonnet
The work is written in the style of a poetic portrait, the heroine of which is a certain lady who has exclusively "earthly" characteristics - she does not look like a goddess neither in skin color, nor in smell, nor in her gait. The key of the sonnet is the conclusion: despite the absence of “divine” features, the author is pleased with all the features of a beloved woman that make her exclusive. This description is opposed by false comparisons, which are most often told to a woman in order to persuade her to intimate relationships.
An analysis of Shakespeare’s 130 sonnets shows that both Marshak and Tchaikovsky’s translation slightly lose their key meaning. Samuel Yakovlevich is quite close to the idea of ​​Shakespeare in the final lines, but he misses an important detail: at the beginning of the poem, the author calls the heroine a "mistress", and in the final part - a "lover".
This is important, as Shakespeare alludes to a similar poetry of his contemporaries, in which the always praised girl is first called beloved, and then becomes a lover. The poet wanted to emphasize that he describes a girl with whom he is already connected, which means that his words do not pursue any selfish purpose. And Tchaikovsky misses this important detail in his translation, and also distorts the meaning of the key: he does not mention those girls who believe in comparisons with roses and goddesses.
To whom has Shakespeare dedicated 130 sonnets?
An analysis of the poem about the “earthly beloved”, coupled with an analysis of all the works of William Shakespeare of this period, does not give an exact answer to the question of what kind of girl is described in the sonnet. Some researchers believe that Lady Mary Fitton, the court lady of Elizabeth the First and one of Shakespeare's lovers, appears in the work. A portrait of this lady is presented below.
However, despite the fact that all portraits of Mary Fitton are depicted with dark hair, contemporaries describe her as “a dark blonde with white skin,” which is not very similar to the description in the sonnet. It is much more likely that the poem is dedicated to the collective image of a girl of Italian or Spanish origin - the southern appearance was not very popular in England during the time of Shakespeare.
The fair-haired girls with white skin and pink blush, easy breathing and inaudible tread were much more appreciated. An analysis of Shakespeare’s 130 sonnets suggests that at that time the poet might have been carried away by one of those southerners whom poetry of the time sang alongside.
Feature of the work
This poem is one of the most recognizable in the works of the famous English poet. He is studied as part of the school curriculum and is quoted in songs and films. What makes 130 Shakespeare's sonnets exceptional?
An analysis of the writer's contemporaries' creativity makes it clear that almost all portrait poetry deified their heroines, and comparisons of skin with snow, blush with roses, which Shakespeare contrasts with the features of her heroine, became real clichés.
With his poem, the poet wanted to emphasize the value and exclusivity of the natural qualities of the appearance of every girl and woman, to whom one can experience no less feelings than to invented images of ephemeral goddesses.