Question

sonnet 130 by william shakespeare
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. i have
seen roses damaskd, red and white,
but no such roses see i in her cheeks;
and in some perfumes is there more delight than in
the breath that from my mistress reeks. i love to
hear her speak, yet well i know
that music hath a far more pleasing sound; i
grant i never saw a goddess go;
my mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground: and
yet, by heaven, i think my love as rare
as any she belied with false compare.

1. what is the meaning of the metaphor: \my mistress eyes are nothing like the sun:/coral is far more red than her lips red\?

a. even though his mistress is ordinary and not beautiful, he still loves her.
b. his mistress is almost as beautiful as the sun and coral.
c. since his mistress is not beautiful, he will break off their relationship.
d. his mistress often has other people mock her for being ordinary.

Explanation:

To determine the meaning of the metaphor, we analyze the lines. The comparisons (eyes not like sun, lips less red than coral) highlight the mistress's ordinary looks. The sonnet's theme is that despite her lack of conventional beauty, the speaker still loves her. Option a matches this: it states he loves her even though she's ordinary and not beautiful. Option b is wrong as the comparisons show she's not as beautiful as sun/coral. Option c is incorrect because the sonnet shows his love, not a breakup. Option d has no support as the text doesn't mention others mocking her.

Answer:

a. Even though his mistress is ordinary and not beautiful, he still loves her.