Poetry Ch. 10 Tone (1)

"And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare as any she belied with false compare." (885)

The quote above comes from the poem, "My mistress' eyes" by William Shakespeare. The central theme of this poem is that the love between the speaker and his mistress is stronger than the love between the people who lie to themselves and each. The speaker knows his love is stronger because he does not have to validify his mistress by the way she looks. The speaker loves his mistress for who she is as a person, not because she fits the fairy tale descriptions and false comparisons like "eyes as bright as the son." The speaker knows that his mistress may not be the most beautiful on the outside, but he loves her for what is on the inside and that is what makes their bond stronger than the bonds built of false comparisons and looks alone. Part of the central theme is evident through lines 1-12 when the author is bashing on his mistress. From line 13 to the end the theme is really clear, it becomes evident as to why he was downing her and that he truly loves her for who she is. The theme is effective because readers know what message the speaker is trying to convey.