Comparing Two Love Poems

Paper Summary:

This paper reviews, discusses and compares the poems "A Red, Red Rose" by Robert Burns and "Sonnet 130" by William Shakespeare. The paper reports that both these poems use hyperbole to highlight aspects of love, but do so in dramatically different ways. The paper further reports that these poems share the common goal of convincing their lovers that they love them in a unique and rare way.

From the Paper:

"In sharp contrast to Burns' poem, Shakespeare's poem makes it clear that he does not believe his love is supernatural. While many love poems, like Burns' "A Red, Red Rose," describe love as something greater than nature, Shakespeare celebrates the earthly nature of his love. Instead of using commonplace metaphors to exault his lover's beauty, Shakespeare uses these metaphors to demonstrate that his lover is not an exceptional beauty. Her eyes are "nothing like the sun;...her breasts are dun,...black wires grow on her head," and her breath reeks. (Shakespeare). In other words, Shakespeare acknowledges that his lover is simply a woman, not something greater than this earth. In fact, he specifically states that his lover is not a goddess. Compared with the over-the-top love sonnets of the day, it seems that Shakespeare has little affection for his lover."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Burns, Robert. "A Red, Red Rose." Burns Country. 1794. Robert Burns.org. 21 Apr. 2007<http://www.robertburns.org/works/444.shtml>.
• Shakespeare, William. "Sonnet 130." Study Guide to Sonnet 130. Shakespeare Online. 21Apr. 2007 <http://www.shakespeare-online.com/sonnets/130detail.html>.

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