Why Does Shakespeare Use Figurative Language In Sonnet 130
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Arrigo Boito, an Italian poet, once wrote, “Come ti vidi/ M’innamorai,/ E tu sorri/ Perchè lo sai” in his opera, Falstaff. It roughly translates to ‘When I saw you, I fell in love, and you smiled because you knew’, and is a traditional beginning to a love story. However, Shakespeare does not always take the traditional approach to love, as seen in Sonnet 130. He sometimes writes negatively or humorously, but can also write in a very realistic fashion at the same time. It is the complete opposite of Sonnet 18, where he praises everything about his lover. The poet, William Shakespeare, reveals his perspective on his lover, as he explores it in Sonnet 18 and Sonnet 130, by using figurative language, point of view, as well as tone and mood.…show more content… For instance, Shakespeare once wrote, “Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?/ Thou art more lovely and more temperate:/ Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,/ And summer's lease hath all too short a date:” (Shakespeare 1-4). In Sonnet 18, Shakespeare uses a metaphor in the quote to compare his lover to a summer day and even says that she is more beautiful. Also, Shakespeare illustrates this point when he stated that, “Coral is far more red than her lips’ red;” (Shakespeare 1). Again, Shakespeare uses a metaphor, only this time, he is saying that his lover has a pale complexion, comparing her to a coral. Lastly, as noted in lines 7 and 8, “And in some perfumes is there more delight/ Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.” (Shakespeare 7-8). In other words, Shakespeare declares that her breath “reeks” with an exaggerated hyperbole, comparing perfume and her breath. In conclusion, Shakespeare also uses figurative language to create images in the minds of the readers to help them visualize who he is