My Mistress Eyes Are Nothing Like The Sun Figurative Language Essay

“I grant I never saw a goddess go: / My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground. (11-12) a quote by William Shakespeare to describe how his mistress is not like a goddess. The poem by William Shakespeare called “My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun” and the poem “Oh, my love is like a red, red rose” by Robert Burns are both written to express their love to another using a sonnet. Both poems use their titles and figurative language to express their love but use different approaches when describing their love. For example, Shakespeare’s approach is impolite as he compares his lover’s traits to other women and falling short while Burn’s approach is more romantic and exaggerated because he will love her “Till a’ the seas gang dry. (10)

This also shows which kind of approach he decided to take when writing the poem, therefore throughout the poem he is criticizing her. In addition to the title, Shakespeare uses figurative language to compare his mistress to other women and how she doesn’t stand up to their image of beauty, “And in some perfumes there is more delight / Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks” (7-8). Despite this fact, at the end of the poem, Shakespeare writes he loves her regardless of her appearances or traits falling short to others.

On the other hand, Burns uses his title to overemphasis his love in a romantic way by comparing his love to a red, red rose. Similarly, he uses figurative language such as hyperboles to magnify his passion by writing, “And I will love thee still, my dear, / Till a’ the seas gang dry” (7-8). This quote is expressing how he would love his dear even if the seas ran dry. He also uses a simile, “My love is like the melody / That’s sweetly played in June” (4-5) to again show the loving direction the poem takes