"My Mistress's Eyes"

When I first read this poem, I thought that the speaker was just completely insulting his love. I thought that Shakespeare was basically calling her ugly through different physical features and comparisons. But after looking further into the meaning of the poem in discussion, I realized that Shakespeare made this poem a satirical piece. During this poem, he was making fun of all of the cliché compliments that men tell women who they are in love with. Through the comparisons of his love to other superior things, Shakespeare shows honesty in this poem. He is being a realist;therefore, he does not flatter his love with things he does not mean or compliments that simply aren't true. There is a transition or shift in the poem in lines thirteen and fourteen. Even though he realizes that his love is not perfect or anywhere close to perfect, he still considers her as "rare". Shakespeare basically states that his love is as beautiful as any of the other women who have been compared falsely. Shakespeare refuses to lie to his love, which is a quality that many women would appreciate greatly in a relationship.