My Mistress' Eyes

William Shakespeare's My Mistress' Eyes makes fun of more romantic sonnets. The entire poem seems to be a satire, pointing out the ridiculousness of other far-fetched declarations of love through poetry. The speaker is brutally honest in the poem. He compares his love to many typical beauties, but never favors his love over them. He points out the absurd nature of other love poems when he states "I grant I never saw a goddess go, My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground." This means the speaker admits he does not put his lover on a pedestal or picture her as the paragon of perfection. This is what makes the poem not only funny, but truly romantic. The speaker's love is not mere infatuation over a woman that is "perfect" in his eyes. Instead he sees her faults, her pale lips, lackluster skin, and unpleasant voice. Despite this, he finds love for her anyway.