In "Sonnet 130", Shakespeare seems to concentrate on his mistress's physical imperfections by portraying to the reader that this woman is not an attractive creature. He draws quite a picture with his words by exclaiming that "coral is far more red" (2) than her drab lips, her hair is of "black wires" (4), "roses damasked" (5) surpass the color of her cheeks, and "in some perfumes is there more delight" (7) than the stench of this woman. She cannot sing to save her

exceeded her looks. This concept introduces an ironic tone, because most people would judge a book by its cover and would not be able to fall in love with someone like his mistress, but he overcame her physical attributes and fell in love with the mind, not the body.

Both of these sonnets illustrate the notion that true love cannot be based on looks alone. This would be described as superficial love. Divine love can solely be obtained by looking past one's outer shell, and beholding the mind or soul of he or she that dwells in the artificial body, for genuine beauty lies on the inside. Nevertheless, the two authors go about describing the appearance of their maidens in distinct fashions. Petrarch's sonnet is an expression of his blessed love for his mate wherein he describes her as attractive and sublime. And even though the loveliness of this woman dwindles with time, it is her inner beauty that entices his love for her. Opposite this stylistic technique is Shakespeare, who starts his sonnet by de

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 682
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)