Read the lines from Shakespeare’s "Sonnet 130."My 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; If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.Now read the lines from Shakespeare’s "Sonnet 18."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;
Answer
A
In both sonnets, the speaker uses comparisons to explain how his love’s beauty is lacking.
B
In both sonnets, the speaker uses specific details to explain why his love is a perfect beauty.
C
In the first sonnet, the speaker explains why his love’s beauty is eternal, while in the second the speaker explains why it is fleeting.
D
In the first sonnet, the speaker explains why his love is not a beauty, while in the second the speaker describes his love’s beauty.
Explanation
In the first sonnet, the speaker says his mistress does not look like idealized images of beauty: her eyes are not like the sun, and her lips are less red than coral. In the second, he describes his beloved as more lovely and temperate than a summer’s day. So choice D best captures the contrast: the first lines emphasize that his love does not fit conventional ideas of beauty, while the second praises his love’s beauty.
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