The Dark Lady

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 damask'd, 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. 

Reading this Shakespearian sonnet, I couldn’t help but wonder: Who are these people? More specifically, I wanted to know who the dark lady was. I’m also curious as to whether this was actually real or not. The two main people I found that the dark lady could be were: Lucy Morgan and Mrs. Florio. Lucy Morgan was a black brothel owner. The dark lady is arrogant and caters to all, so the owner of a brothel is a likely choice. I also saw that the lady might be Mrs. Florio, wife of an Italian translator. This choice is more appealing because the dark lady is definitely married. The dark lady, in addition to her arrogance, is a wanton wife who had children.

I thought it was interesting that the narrator continues to describe his mistress in a negative manner. Her lips are not red. Her eyes don’t shine. Her breath reeks. Her voice isn’t soothing. Even her walk is ungraceful. Yet, he loves her. Perhaps this is a message about love going deeper than the surface. However, if that was a poem about me, I would be a bit offended. At least, I would be until the couplet. Re-reading the sonnet, I realized it served as parody for love. The mistress defies all stereotypical characteristics of love and beauty. Still, the love is all consuming. He loves her anyways. Thus, the typical theme of love prevailing against all odds is upheld.